Richkin, Robert J.

The Blind Receptionist and Other Poems with: Ephemera

New York, NY: Blue Mornings Press, 1978. First Edition. Hardcover. Inscribed & signed by Robert J. Richkin to Erin Black Matson; & with Richkin's handwritten note to Matson. "These poems tell a story of a literally archetypal pain- which must have begun with consciousness itself, recognizing desire as that which would take it beyond itself, into a world where its own presumption of integrity would be shattered like a mirror." (from Preface by Robert Creeley, pg. ix) A collection of poems by Robert J. Richkin (b. 1945), a poet who was a member of the Beat Generation as it morphed into the Lower East Side NYC- hippie counterculture during the 1960s. With a preface by the great Black Mountain School-&-Beyond poet Robert Creeley (1926-2005, quoted above); & introductory "Some Notes on the Poetry of RJR" by Maurice Schneps, an American-born editor & writer who resided in Japan. Hardcover in unclipped dust jacket, "First Edition, 1978" as stated on copyright page. 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), were a part of the same 1960s Beat Generation-Hippie scene as Richkin. The Matsons were colleagues & protégés (in lifestyle as much as literature) of Herbert Huncke, Bonnie & Ray Bremser, Diane di Prima et al. Richkin too was a colleague- he was the editor of the alternate first issue of the legendary Great Society journal (1966), which featured a cover illustration by Deborah Black, likely a relative of Erin, & a contribution by Clive. This volume is dedicated to Ray Bremser, & the poem "Erin's Book," is dedicated to & about her (pg. 39). On blank light-brown front endpaper, Richkin has hand-written & signed: "For Erin/ Yogini, Gnanil(?)/ Friend of ALL living/ things- from Bobby." We also found & have retained, between pages 38-39 (right where the poem for Erin resides), a note from Richkin to Erin in illustrated envelope with her first name hand-written & underlined in bold black ink. The undated note is hand-written in bold red ink, & is, shall we say, rather overwrought & dramatic (we know those temperamental artistes...), expressing strong hostility to an unnamed woman who apparently resided with Erin. The note was never mailed, but rather left, possibly as it appears here, when Richkin perhaps left Erin's company in a huff. We hope they reconciled. The note is in very fine condition, much-folded with writing on recto only; envelope near-fine with mild rubbing, creasing to surfaces; torn open at flap. A most interesting & collectible Richkin relic, with very rich & relevant associations, provenance & ephemera. The condition of this item reflects its long ownership & use by Erin, who was indeed a tried-&-true Beat-Bohemian to the end: Book near-fine with mild rubbing, moderate spotting & spot-staining to beige-cloth front, back covers; much less so to dark-brown cloth spine with copper-gilt lettering thereon quite bright & intact; light wear, moderate spotting at edges & corners (again esp. beige cover boards); mild rubbing & spotting to side & esp. lower edge of text block; very slight fading & a few short, faint scratches at maroon-dyed upper edge of same. Interior very fine, substantially mint. Dust jacket fair-to-good with mild rubbing, browning & occasional spotting to front, back covers, esp. spine & flaps; mild wear & some tiny bumps, creases at edges & corners of same; tiny chips, closed tears with slight loss of paper esp. at spine-edges & corners; one small-medium area at blank lower edge-margin of back cover with loss of paper likely torn off (roughly, jaggedly 1" x 3"). Near Fine / Fair- Good. [Item #4955]

Price: $45.00 save 20% $36.00