Various (Aguila, Pancho; Bukowski, Charles; Cherkovski, Neeli; Everson, William; Ferlinghetti, Lawrence; Kaufman, Bob; Levine, Philip; Locklin, Gerald; McDonough, Kaye; Meltzer, David; Micheline, Jack; Peters, Robert; Plymell, Charles; Wantling, William; Wainio, Ken; Winans, A.D.; Norse, Harold et al.)

Second Coming Anthology: Ten Years in Retrospect

San Francisco, CA: Second Coming Press, 1984. First Trade Softcover Edition. Softcover. (Debritto, C121, p. 325). “The poems and prose appearing in this anthology are of the widest range possible, coming from every conceivable school of thought: academic, street poet, beat generation, post-beat generation and post-modern. The work spans ten years of poetry and prose that appeared earlier in Second Coming magazine and in books published by Second Coming Press. It is not meant to represent the "Best of Second Coming,' "but rather a retrospective of what Second Coming is and was about over the last decade. We do feel, however, that the work is top quality and representative of the best work to appear in the last ten years. But the one theme in common is the energy they share in making Second Coming a truly unique magazine and press of international stature. Second Coming is proud of its record and even prouder for publishing the best prison, women, and third world literature available to us. Putting together an anthology is no easy task, and putting together this particular anthology proved a trying task. Many fine poems and prose pieces were left out simply because space would not allow their inclusion. What we have attempted to present here is a truly representative sample of the diverse nature of Second Coming, and what the editorial staff has attempted to do over a period of ten years” (from Introduction). Offered here is the great American poet & noted San Franciscan, A.D. Winans’ (b. 1936) Second Coming Press Anthology, — this most voluminous testament to a ten-year stretch of Small Press Excellence. Its number of contributors is so vast and their styles so widely-ranging that the Beat sensibility and originary essence of SCP — (both its magazines and books) — rightly associated with it movement historians seems beautifully sidelined, here by the literary cosmopolitanism of the Second San Francisco Renaissance, which Winans’ took part in, but on his own terms. This anthological Goliath is predictably far too large for us to provide a contributors-&-contents list, in full, and Winans grants no reprieve to its readers: for there isn’t a contents page! It is alphabetized (sorted by last name), however. Winans’ isn’t entirely crazy to think that might do in lieu of a Contents Page — but, when it comes to a tome as ‘Small Press-epochal’ as this, he’d make both a general reader & Beat historian’s life easier! These frustrations are annulled, however by the actual poems as selected by Winans: and Beat scholars, in particular will be interested to read works like the great Harold Norse’s [1916-2009] “THE WORST THING YOU CAN SAY TO HIM IS I LOVE YOU (for Charles Bukowski)”; the two selections by William Wantling (1933-1974; “FOR ERNIE MARSHALL (if he’s still around),” & “Style 7”); Jack Micheline’s [1929-1998] “LONG AFTER MIDNIGHT (for Charles Bukowski”); and Philip Levine — the great poet laureate of working class Detroit (“WAITING”). To curious scholars and prospective buyers that aren’t able to look at this anthology in-person, at our beautiful storefront-&-venue in Downtown Ann Arbor, just send an inquiry (via email) regarding the matter, & we’ll write back shortly. There is probably only one sentence that all the poets here compiled would agree on: and, knowing how prissy most poets can be, Winans’ wisely pins it to his Preface’s end. “The works speak for themselves,” — and with this many poets anthologically present, who’d want to be against that? First Trade Softcover Edition, First Printing (though not explicated as such on copyright page) and published simultaneously (in a “clothbound” edition) by Winans’ noted SCP. In Very Good-Near Fine condition with generally minute-to-moderate shelf-wear, light bumping & since-flattened creasing to fine-edges & corners of front, back covers & spine-edge; original, printed sale price on back cover “punched out” (quite literally, with a hole punch) in two near small circles at lower left-hand corner of same; light-to-moderate rubbing, staining, & moderate-to-enunciated exhibits of age-toning (spotting, yellowing, & similar age-tonal artifacts) present, variously throughout; otherwise, clean. Very Good-Near Fine. [Item #7446]

Price: $30.00