McClure, Michael

Meat Science Essays

San Francisco, CA: City Lights Books, 1963. First Edition, First Printing. “This spate of sense-thought, these romantic, intuitive non-essays will rub an awful lot of people the wrong way, as they have the editor of this book who doesn’t at all agree with McClure’s lush green ideas. This editor is the friend referred to herein (in ‘The Man in the Telephone Booth: A Footnote on Camus’) and it’s obvious to him that McClure doesn’t want to understand Camus and never will. The cat is just willfully incapable of it. His whole book is, in fact, an evasion of that very ‘suicide and death’ which Camus’ Myth of Sisyphus aims so Absurdly to confront. McClure’s wildly opposite view is nevertheless one which many anti-intellectual (non-Gallic) animals will dig. McClure’s ‘mammalism’ is something you just have to take or leave, along with his tacit presumption (in ‘Artaud: Peace Chief’) that the perceptions of madness (as in Artaud’s ‘To Have Done with the Judgement of God’) are naturally greater, truer, more profound, etc, etc, than those of any other state of meat, mind, or heart…” (Lawrence Ferlinghetti, A Note on Meat Science Essays) While Lawrence Ferlinghetti’s [1919-2021]introduction may seem like a takedown of fellow Beat poetry giant Michael McClure [1932-2020], its more a setup for the at-times absurdist essays in this early offering by McClure, a primary poet & playwright of the San Francisco Renaissance, the Beat Generation & beyond. In Meat Science Essays, McClure provides notes on his experiences with peyote, mushrooms, heroin, and other drugs, confronts suicide, plays with consciousness and at times seems to be shouting into a megaphone toward the reader. A defining work by one of the Six Gallery readers and icon of San Francisco poetry. From the collection of scholar, poet and our dear friend Robin Eichele (b. 1941), noted Mimeograph Revolutionary & co-founder (with the late, great John Sinclair [1941-2024]) of the Detroit Artists’ Workshop.  Eichele's owner signature in bold black ink can be found along the top edge of the first front endpaper, with further date “24:x:66”. Trade-format softcover original. First edition, first printing though neither explicated on copyright page (with all points in Cook, No. 41, Pgs. 44-45). In relatively Near Fine condition with some scratching and rubbing to front, back covers & spine; some minor chipping at top of spine and a small tear to the back cover; mild creasing to front cover edges. Interior fine with light age-toning throughout and slight creasing to top corners of page leaves. Near Fine. [Item #8021]

Price: $50.00