Bloom, Harold

The Anxiety of Influence: A Theory of Poetry with: Ephemera

ISBN: 0195016130
New York, NY, USA: Oxford University Press, 1973. First Edition, Advance Review Copy. Hardcover. "At the center of Harold Bloom's controversial recent works...is a strikingly original theory of poetic influence. The Anxiety of Influence sets forth this provocative theory and includes a manifesto for a radical but central change in practical literary criticism. "Poetic history," in this book's argument, "is held to be indistinguishable from poetic influence, since strong poets make that history by misreading one another, so as to clear imaginative space for themselves." It is a tragic theory of poetic influence, for, though out of this deliberate misinterpretation or "misprison" a new strength can be won, it is always at the expense of a partial blinding or crippling. Literary history becomes the history of misplacements, willful errors, and disciplined perverseness." (from front flap) A key work of revisionist literary criticism by Harold Bloom (1930-2019), the great & prolific American author & academician who famously defended the beleaguered Western canon. Bloom was the quintessential "public intellectual" like they don't make any more, so to speak. Offered here is the first edition, first printing (though neither specified as such per custom of this staid academic publisher) of this densely intellectual Bloom masterwork, hardcover in unclipped first-issue dust jacket (with $5.95 price printed at front flap). We found & have retained, between rear endpaper & paste-down, publisher's small sheet indicating this as a review copy in advance of "Publication Date Feb. 1, 1973," in substantially near-perfect condition with only bands of mild browning across length of blank verso. Also present, separately packaged with this volume for protection, is the complete original obituary for Bloom by Dinitia Smith from the October 15, 2019 issue of the New York times, one complete page & one small clipping, much-folded & otherwise in very fine condition. Bloom had died the previous day, October 14, 2019. From the collection of Laurence Goldstein (1943-2023), a renowned American author, film critic, poet, editor & academician here at the University of Michigan. A Bloom classic in its very rarest contemporary form, enriched with relevant ephemera & distinguished provenance. Book in relatively quite fine-to-very-fine condition with only a touch of wear, fading to edges & corners of dark blue-cloth front, back covers & spine; very slight rubbing, occasional spotting to edges of text block. Interior very fine with only mild browning (due likely to presence of ephemera) to blank paste-downs, endpapers; otherwise mint. Dust jacket near-fine with mild rubbing, browning & faint scratching to front, back covers, spine & flaps; mostly light wear & some tiny bumps, creases at edges & corners of same; small-to-tiny chips at upper edges, corners esp. right front cover corner with minimal loss of paper, surface paper. Fine-Very Fine / Near Fine. [Item #6867]

Price: $60.00