Meltzer, David

We All Have Something to Say to Each Other

San Francisco, CA: Auerhahn Press, 1962. First Printing. Stapled Wrappers. “Patchen has gone unrecognized much like the poet Robinson Jeffers. Poets will acknowledge poets but so much of the time will offer nothing back to the man. Not that Patchen needs our praise, nor did Jeffers. But some token of love returned, tho unasked for, is always appreciated in a large sense by any man who gives us his work. Not admiration, but understanding. Understanding that silences the quick tongue of the praisers [sic], the balloon-blowers, the flypaper that clutters a culture. Now Jeffers is dead. Patchen is still very sick. What do you do? What can you do?” (“11,” excerpted from this unpaginated volume). Released in 1962 by Dave Haselwood’s (1931-2014) Auerhahn Press, Auerhahn Pamphlet No. 2 — David Meltzer’s (1937-2016) We All Have Something to Say to Each Other — was preceded by “Philip Lamantia’s explosive epipoetolemic [sic] NARCOTICA,” as the promotional copy on the work’s back cover states. While lesser known than the work that preceded it in the Auerhahn Pamphlet series, this is a classic work that deserves a far wider readership than has yet been afforded it. It’s composed of two parts, one of which is a prose-poetic essay on Kenneth Patchen (1911-1972), from which we quoted liberally, above. To be frank, the essay on Patchen is worth the price of admission alone. It’s remarkable, in fact. As an early San Francisco Renaissance publication, We All Have Something to Say to Each Other is a collectible relic of time & place, as well one of the finest works in all of David’s oeuvre. From the collection of Robin Eichele (b. 1941), noted Mimeograph Revolutionary & co-founder (with John Sinclair) of the Detroit Artists’ Workshop. Chapbook in stapled wrappers: the first-&-only printing of this ruefully overlooked Auerhahn Press collectible. This copy is additionally signed & dated by Eichele at top right-hand corner of FFEP near topmost fine-edge of same. Eichele’s signature, in thin, black fountain pen ink, reads: “Robin Eichele / 2-20-65.” In strong Very Good condition with light-to-moderate shelf-wear, bumping to fine-edges & corners of front, back wrappers; mild-to-moderate rubbing, age-typical toning, yellowing, browning & a few visible, low-impact instances of spotting to same; moderate-to-enunciated water stain to top right-hand corner of back cover near center-middle; otherwise, generally clean. Very Good. [Item #8284]

Price: $30.00