Butterick, George F.

The Three-Percent Stranger with: Ephemera

Minneapolis, MN: Zelot Press, 1986. First Edition. Stapled Wrappers. Inscribed & signed by George F. Butterick to Albert Glover; & with typed note signed from Butterick to Glover. “Spiralled a lion of thin smoke toward the ceiling. / a camel, a dolphin–agh, why dramatize the foulness. / She crouched there rat-ready in her shift. Why / “shift”? It’s what the eyes do, underneath– / and on the underneath, palely pink and prideful. / Love was radiational cooling; / her surface was under his heat.”--George F. Butterick, “Lines Stitched in Side.” George F. Butterick (1942-1988) was a poet, editor, essayist, and critic who was best known for his works on and that helped popularize Charles Olson (1910-1970). He received a doctorate in English literature from the State University of New York at Buffalo in 1970. While at the university, he studied under Olson and began a lifelong devotion to him. Offered today is the 1986 collection of poetry, The Three-percent Stranger. Undeniably infected with the influence of Olson, Allen Ginsberg (1926-1997), and Walt Whitman (1819-1892), The Three-percent Stranger is a collection that plays with the Olsonian “projected verse,” while maintaining a sense of modernist zeal, and a playful experimentation. Butterick’s sense of line length, sound, and overall composition is masterful, illustrating his savant-like understanding of phrase and musicality. The Three-percent Stranger stands as a forgotten classic in the Olsonian tradition. Butterick’s poems are enigmatic, propulsive, musical, visceral, unexpected, and overall as experimental as they are profound. Stapled wrappers, first edition as stated at copyright page, first printing though not explicated as such thereon. From the collection of Albert Glover (b. 1942), the great American scholar, bibliographer, author & publisher who is the foremost living authority on literary giant Charles Olson (our favorite Maximus Obscurantist), with whom we're honored to be acquainted. Inscribed & signed at first paste-down page in thin blue ink: “For Al / with all best wishes, / George.” We have found and retained between front cover and first paste-down page, a letter typed by Butterick to Alber Glover, and signed in thin blue ink by the former (see picture) . In relatively very fine condition with only minor wear to fine edges, slight discoloration due to age-toning throughout, and very minimal rusting at staples. Very Fine. [Item #8427]

Price: $50.00