Ferlinghetti, Lawrence

Writing Across the Landscape: Travel Journals 1960-2010

New York, NY: Liveright Publishing Corporation, 2015. First Printing. Hardcover. “I see this book as in the tradition of D.H. Lawrence’s travels in Italy or Goethe’s Italian journeys….It is as if much of my life were a continuation of my youthful wanderjahr, my walkabout in the world,” writes Lawrence Ferlinghetti (1919-2021) in “Writing Across the Landscape 1960-2015,” selections from his travel journals. Your Devoted Managing Curator cannot help but reflect on his own journey to San Francisco to attend (what later become) Ferlinghetti’s very last public reading — and not just in the city of San Francisco (the site of his efflorescence), but the world. It was promoted not as a “last reading,” but as an event to celebrate the release of this book. However, Ferlinghetti, then aged 96 (and with the glaucoma that plagued him raging), struggled mightily. Despite the comically large font City Lights staff had printed selections from the recent publication in, the fight felt called mere moments in. A soldierly fifteen minutes or so passed, after the span of which it became clear: everyone in attendance was, in fact, at Ferlinghetti’s final reading; the reason that likely had motivated some of us (including yours truly, who had driven all the way from Michigan) to attend came to pass. This work, then constitutes one part of a sort of “farewell address” for Ferlinghetti — the other half of which is 2019’s “Little Boy,” the celebrated founder of City Lights Books’ second autobiographical “novel.” Whether looking for anecdotes regarding Beat literary matters or a lively and insightful work of autobiography, one can’t go wrong here. [ISBN: 978-1-63149-001-9]. Hardcover in unclipped dust-jacket: First Edition, as stated on copyright page; First Printing, as indicated by number sequence thereon. Book in very fine condition with only minute shelf-wear to fine-edges & corners of front, back cover & spine-edge; horizontal crease indentation (as issued) near bottommost fine-edges of same; slight sunning to topmost fine-edge of recto board, otherwise quite clean. Dust-jacket in very fine condition with only slightest shelf-wear to fine-edges & corners of front, back covers & spine-edge & one vertical impression-indentation (roughly a cm in length) near leftmost fine-edge / upper left-hand corner of same, else pristine. Very Fine / Very Fine. [Item #5432]

Price: $35.00