Olson, Charles

Spearmint & Rosemary

Berkeley, CA: Turtle Island, 1975. Limited First Edition. Sewn Wrappers. "We've been going along easily/ Each year the cost/ Gondwanna goes north,/ Eurasia bumps west// When the two meet/ oh well" (second page in its entirety, unpaginated) A chapbook with a posthumously published poem by Charles Olson (1910-1970)- Master of Densely Allusive Obscurity, key mentor of the Black Mountain School, Founding Father of "Projective Verse," our favorite Sphinx-of-Letters. The poem is copyrighted by the University of Connecticut Library, which holds the manuscript from which this was printed. A beautiful production, chapbook in sewn wrappers with page-length flaps published during 1975 by the venerable Turtle Island imprint in an edition of 1000 un-numbered copies per colophon. With front cover & title page illustration which had decorated "The Mycenaean Tree and Pillar Cult," a scholarly volume by Sir Arthur J. Evans (1851-1941), the great British archeologist. There is a deep archeological component to Olson's works, especially his epic Maximus poems, & so the association with Evans is significant. A most desirable Olson collectible, attractive & challenging in equal measure. See our many other Olson rarities, including our outstandingly complete Maximus package (item No. 3167). In relatively very fine condition with only a hint of fading to blue front, back covers & sewn spine; a few tiny bumps, creases at edges & corners of same; light spotting to edges of text block esp. upper edge. Interior very fine with only light spotting at blank inner margins of two middle pages (where sewn); tiny bumps at esp. lower corners of some page leaves. Very Fine. [Item #5236]

Price: $30.00 save 20% $24.00