Various (Goldman, Sherman (Editor); Chowka, Peter Barry; Snyder, Gary et al.)

East West Journal Vol. 7 No. 6 (June 1977)

Brookline, MA: Leonard Jacobs, 1977. First Printing. Stapled Wrappers. This number of the spiritual/ New Age journal edited by Sherman Goldman features the first part of an intensive interview with Gary Snyder (b. 1930), the canonical primary poet of the Beat Generation & environmentalist (still active & with us at almost age 95 as of this writing) conducted by the noted journalist Peter Barry Chowka in New York City during April 1977. Entitled "The Original Mind of Gary Snyder," Snyder's deep musings on a variety of topics including his childhood & early years, poetry, philosophy, spirituality, the environment & his prescriptions for "...a society ultimately hell-bent on self-destructive growth..." are expressed with his exemplary, simple eloquence. Interspersed among the pages of interview transcript are images of Snyder taken by Chowka during his visit in NYC, including in the reunited company of his Beat Fellow Founding Father Allen Ginsberg, Peter Orlovsky et al. at Ginsberg's Manhattan residence. (pgs. 24-38). With other articles on a variety of subjects including the problems of & solutions to world hunger, canoeing in the Arctic Tundra etc.; contemporary ads including for the Naropa Institute showing & noting William S. Burroughs as a faculty member. Magazine-format journal in stapled wrappers, presumed first-&-only printing, complete with attached subscription card between inner covers & first, last leafs; & loose folded sheet soliciting the "Only Love" spiritual retreat between pgs. 8-9 (which we assume was included with this issue & therefore not "ephemera" per se, in near-perfect condition). From the archive of Thomas Rain Crowe (b. 1949), the acclaimed American poet who co-founded & was at the center of the Baby Beat Generation/ Second San Francisco Renaissance in the 1970s. The vast Crowe archive was acquired, catalogued & offered for sale as a single item by Third Mind Books (see our item No. 1010), & its individual pieces such as this are being incrementally curated & presented throughout this year of 2025. See also our item No. 3071, Starting From San Francisco, published by TMB, wherein Crowe provides a complete anecdotal history of the BBG/SSFR & its critical collaborations/mentorships with the key figures of the original Beat Generation/ San Francisco Renaissance. Snyder was among the most important & influential mentors to Crowe & his group, & is referenced extensively in SFSF. An essential & rewarding Snyder collectible, in its singularly rarest original form with most-distinguished & relevant provenance. See also our item No. 7595. In relatively near-fine-verging-on-fine condition with slight rubbing, faint scratching to front, back covers & stapled spine; a touch of wear & a few tiny bumps,creases at edges & corners of same esp. spine; staples in process of rusting with miniscule exterior & interior bleeding; light rubbing & mild-to-moderate age-toning to edges of text block. Interior (again relatively) fine-to-near-fine with mild age-toning to inner covers & page leaves (the latter chiefly at blank margins/edges); somewhat more pronounced of same esp. to inner side second section of subscription card; glossy color middle section (pgs. 51-54) neatly separated from staples; tiny bumps at corners of a few leaves. Near Fine-Fine. [Item #7597]

Price: $30.00