Various (Glover, Albert; Olson, Charles; Blasek, Douglas; Wieners, John et al.)

A Curriculum of the Soul: Full Publisher's Set

Buffalo & Canton, NY: Albert Glover, 1968-2002. First Printings. Stapled Wrappers. “Sometime after Charles Olson’s [1910-1970] death in January 1970, I told Jack Clarke I wanted to publish some kind of tribute to Olson. He responded by sending me a copy of “A Plan for a Curriculum of the Soul” which Olson had sent to us for publication in The Magazine of Further Studies No. 5. On the copy Jack had selected 28 terms as “subjects” and to each one he had written the name of a poet who might write a “fascicle” using the term as a title. We agreed that he would request the text and forward it to me and that I would publish and distribute it. I imagined that the project would take about two years, but in fact it took thirty. Many of the fascicles were printed mimeograph, texts and covers. But as the decades passed I began to employ commercial printers. The issues were sold by subscription or through book dealers. Press runs were usually close to 300 copies. After the final issue (“one’s own Language” by Lisa Jarnot) appeared in 2002, I began editing the whole toward a single volume limited edition of 51 copies designed and produced by Michael Russem at Kat Ran Press and bound in Japanese silk by Sarah Creighton. The book was released in 2010 at the Charles Olson Centennial celebration in Vancouver. In 2016 a two-volume trade edition was published by Spuyten Duyvil press” (Albert Glover [b. 1942]). A full set of the immortal Curriculum of the Soul series, with multiple copies of several issues — within the series of twenty eight. There are four copies of all issues excepting Issues No. 20-22, of which there are three, and Issue No. 23, of which there are five. From the collection of Albert Glover (b. 1942), the acclaimed American poet, author, bibliographer, editor & publisher whom we're honored to be acquainted with, & who is the foremost living authority on Charles Olson [1910-1970], the canonical American poet among the most Gigantic (literally & literarily) men-of-letters of the twentieth century—our favorite Maximus Obscurantist. Glover studied with & was anointed by the Maximus Master himself, & has outstandingly served as his bibliographer & editor (see for example our item No. 8126). As experienced Third Minders (& long-time collectors, everywhere) are well-aware, scoring a coveted rarity from the individual who published it is rarely a guarantee of that item’s condition: rarely, or never means that it will arrive at your collection or library anything like it looked the day it was ‘born.’ This lot, here is the exception to that rule: all twenty-eight issues of the masterfully executed series quite literally remain in the publisher’s wrapper. Glover assiduously set aside two full runs of the Curriculum during the interval of time in which the project was executed. Serious collectors, most of whom are ready to issue superlatives at a moment’s notice, might well describe Glover’s stewardship of these volumes as genuinely considerate; graceful, even. While our friend Albert is certainly all those things, his stewardship of the volumes is really a sign of respect to his great friend and mentor, the inimitable “Big O.” Even the box in which AG had these stored when Your Devoted VP-of-Operations here at Third Mind Books went to get them was unblemished: the volumes like ashes in a nick-less urn. If you ever get the chance to speak with Albert, or anyone who knew Charles, ask them if he ever paid them a visit from beyond the grave. Glover claims two such visitations; and like other mystical moments with Charles, he was not (& is not) the sole living witness. Whatever you think of the man and his verse, the Curriculum is a testament to all the following: Olson was a legendary theorist, generous mentor, and acknowledged distributor of ten-dollar-words. If you can get past the last bit, you can grow first from the first: & learn for yourself what the fuss is about. There will be a $40.00 handling fee added for shipping due to the size and weight of this set. Very Fine. [Item #8341]

Price: $8,000.00