Saroyan, Aram

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New York, NY: 0 To 9 Books, 1967. First Edition. Stapled Sheets. "people/ people/ people/ people" (untitled poem, unpaginated) A collection of famously minimalist poems by Aram Saroyan (b. 1943), the acclaimed poet, novelist, memoirist & playwright who is the son of William Saroyan (1908-1981), the canonical Armenian-American author & playwright. The poems here, printed on recto only of page leaves, consist of only one word or very short phrase, sometimes repeated two-to-four times as above. We offer the scarce first edition, first & only printing, of this cult classic, large-format stapled sheets published by 0 To 9 Books in 1967. The 0 To 9 imprint, edited by noted performance artist Vito Hannibal Acconci (1940-2017) & poet-artist Bernadette Mayer (b. 1945) is most exemplary of the New York School/ Lower East Side NYC/ Small Press- Mimeograph Revolution ferment of the 1960s. From the collection of Erin Black Matson (1937-2020?), the late artist-poet who, along with her then-husband the acclaimed poet & educator Clive Matson (b. 1942) was a member of the Beat Generation as it morphed into the hippie counterculture during the 1960s. The Matsons were colleagues & protégés (in lifestyle as much as literature) of Herbert Huncke, Bonnie & Ray Bremser, Diane di Prima et al. Undoubtedly they had at least a passing acquaintance with Saroyan, Acconci & Mayer- as they were a part of the central milieu of these contemporaries. See also our Saroyan-related item No.s 2332, 2828, 3435, 3753. An iconic Saroyan collectible in its rarest original form & with distinguished, relevant provenance. The relatively good-to-near-fine condition of this item (actually as or nearly as good as any other copies we've seen for which sellers are asking far more than we) befits its long ownership & use by Erin, who was a tried-&-true Beat-Bohemian to the end: Moderate-to-medium rubbing, browning, spotting & spot-staining to front & rear cover sheets; mild wear & some tiny bumps, creases at edges & corners of same; staples beginning to rust with little-to-no discernible bleeding; medium rubbing, browning & spotting to edges of text block (including exposed spine-edge of same). Interior near-fine with medium browning of inner covers & all page leaves; small creases, tiny bumps at edges & corners of same. Good- Near Fine. [Item #4950]

Price: $500.00 save 20% $400.00