Various: Ayres, Ian (editor); Corso, Gregory; Crisp, Quentin; Ferlinghetti, Lawrence; Ginsberg, Allen; Hollo, Anselm; Koch, Kenneth; Levine, Philip; Malanga, Gerard; McClure, Michael; Norse, Harold; Padgett, Ron; Rothenberg, Michael; Waldman, Anne

Pharos: New Poetry and Prose from Paris Vol. VI No. 1 (Winter 2000) with: Ephemera

Paris, France: The British Institute, 2000. First Edition, First Printing. From the library of Lawrence Ferlinghetti, with his ownership signature, date, ephemera & contribution. "My mind is racing | in the middle of the night | My mind races | through the darkness | of the world | Toward a tunnel of light..." ("Rivers of Light" excerpt, pg. 21) This vintage eleventh number of the venerable turn-of-the-century poetry journal edited by Yale Law professor Ian Ayres (b. 1959) and published by The legendary British Institute is a true treasure trove of Beat generation poets and those Beat-adjacent. Beats Allen Ginsberg (1926-1997; Letter to Wall Street Journal, pgs. 24-25), Gregory Corso (1930-2001; Untitled, pg. 17), and Anne Waldman (b. 1945; Salutation, pg. 92) are flanked by the likes of British raconteur and transgender pioneer Quentin Crisp (1908-1999), Romanian-American poet Andrei Codrescu (b. 1946), Finnish poet Anselm Hollo (1934-2013), and American poets Kenneth Koch (1925-20020), Philip Levine (1928-2015), Gerard Malanga (b. 1943), Michael McClure (1932-2020), Harold Norse (1916-2009), Ron Padgett (b. 1942), & Michael Rothenberg (1951-2022). A true highlight is the contribution from poet & McCarthy-era victim Lawrence Ferlinghetti (1919-2021), the Beat Generation's biggest cheerleader, "Rivers of Light" (pgs. 21-22), where Ferlinghetti makes playful use of words and form to portray a very sleepless night for himself. At pages 72-73, an interesting loose errata slip insert has been added by the publisher, correcting a mistake in the translation of Victor Hugo's (1802-1885) poem "Virgo Major," by the poet Douglas Oliver (1937-2000). From the library of the late, great Lawrence Ferlinghetti, canonical American poet & founder of City Lights Books, publisher of many Beat Generation writers. We have found & retained two pieces of ephemera (pink post-its), presumably affixed by Ferlinghetti, marking the aforementioned contributions of Ferlinghetti and Ginsberg. At top right corner of title page, Ferlinghetti has written his stylized signature and date in black ink: "Ferlinghetti | 5/00." Softcover Original: presumed first edition & first printing, as neither are explicated as such at copyright, though the ownership date implies as much. A most-important compendium of poetry in its rarest contemporary form, with very distinguished & relevant association & provenance, enhanced by ownership signature, date, ephemera & contribution. In relatively very fine condition with only light rubbing & scratching mostly to fine edges of front, back covers, & spine; very light wear & some tiny bumps, creases at edges & corners of same; little to no age-toning to edges of text block. Interior very fine with one slight instance of smudging at bottom of pg. 24. Very Fine. [Item #8186]

Price: $100.00