Ai (Anthony, Florence)

Greed: Poems with: Ephemera

ISBN: 0393035611
New York, NY, USA: W.W. Norton & Company, 1993. First Edition, First Printing. "I was named after my daddy, Vern, | but I was like my mama, | though I'd never admit it, until now. | Before she settled down, she traveled from town to town | on her roller derby circuit | for the Texas Tornadoes. | Sometimes I went with her. | She always knew how to make me happy. | She'd take me to the nearest hot dog stand | and tell the man | "Give Verna the works..." (excerpt from title piece, pg. 92). The fifth, award-winning collection of poems by Ai (b. Florence Anthony, 1947-2010), the acclaimed American poet & Oklahoma State University professor. Influenced by her mixed ethnicity that included being part Native American, African American & with Japanese ancestry, as well as her chaotic & impoverished childhood, Ai's poems are famously intense "dramatic monologues" as critics have noted. Greed is a collection of poems about the identity of America in the late twentieth century. In prose-like monologues spoken by famous or obscure Americans, Ai exposes amorality in the institutions of society, business, and private life. For most of the speakers, America has not kept its promises. Truth and justice are illusions in a society made more vicious, because of greed, than the Darwinian struggle for survival among animals. Money, power, drugs, & sex, these are the gods of late twentieth century America. We found & have retained, between blank front paste-down & endpaper, a press release from W.W. Norton & Company announcing the release of Greed, with handwritten black ink release date edits (October 25 edited to November 29), folded twice horizontally & in perfect condition, indicating this is likely a pre-release copy sent to Laurence Goldstein (1943-2023) from the publisher. From the collection of Laurence Goldstein, a renowned American poet, film critic, editor, author & academician at the University of Michigan. Hardcover in unclipped first-issue dust jacket (with $7.95 price & "10-93" printed at front flap), first edition as stated at copyright, first printing as indicated by number sequence thereon. An essential Ai collectible in its rarest contemporary form, with enriching ephemera & distinguished, relevant provenance. See also our item No.s 7962, 7964. Book in relatively very fine condition with very mild fading of crimson red front, back cover & spine, mostly at margins, edges & corners; a bit of wear & a few tiny bumps at edges & corners of same; light rubbing, age-toning & spotting to upper edge of text block. Interior very fine, appearing substantially mint. Dust jacket relatively very fine with only a touch of mild age-toning to edges & corners of front, back covers, spine & flaps;. Very Fine. [Item #7960]

Price: $50.00