Ansen, Alan

The Old Religion

New York, NY: Tibor de Nagy Gallery Editions, 1959. Limited First Edition. wrappers over sewn binding. "The syndromes compete for an empty metabolism./ One, brisk surfaces, leaves an emptiness greater than it found./ The other, O VIrgo, shy from the mouthings of ignorant scumminess/ froth,/ Completes a life." ("Heroin: An Ode (For Gregory Corso), " first stanza, pg. 22) A collection of poems by Alan Ansen (1922-2006), the American-expatriate poet & scholar who was an assistant to W.H. Auden during the late 1940s, & among the earliest & most insightful appreciators & critics of the Beat Generation writers, especially William S. Burroughs. This collection is in fact dedicated to Auden & WSB, & is the first publication in Ansen's slim but very important oeuvre. These poems display the wit, erudition & grounding in classical scholarship that are Ansen's hallmarks. Larger chapbook in wrappers over sewn binding, one of 300 (un-numbered) copies printed in Venice, Italy as part of a series of productions commissioned by the prestigious Tibor de Nagy Gallery in NYC, per colophon. From the collection of Kenward Elmslie (1929-2022), the legendary American poet, novelist, playwright & polymath associated with the New York School-&-Beyond; & who undoubtedly crossed paths with Ansen (see our many Elmslie-&-related collectibles). A very scarce & significant Ansen collectible with distinguished provenance. In fine condition with mild rubbing, mild-to-moderate browning & occasional spotting to front, back covers & esp. spine; a bit of wear & a few tiny bumps, creases at edges & corners of same; mild browning, rubbing to edges of text block. Interior very fine with only mild browning to blank inner covers & page leaves (the latter mostly at blank margins/edges); tiny bumps & small, faint creases at corners of a few leaves. Fine. [Item #5679]

Price: $80.00