Butterick, George F.; Glover, Albert

Reading Genesis by the Light of a Comet: Poems

ISBN: 0917488016
Willimantic, CT: Ziesing Brothers Publishing, 1976. First Edition, First Printing. Softcover. Inscribed, signed & dated by George F. Butterick to Albert Glover. "Don't scream. I am | testing a poem on the back of your neck." ("oxymoron'" pg. 17). Offered today is the second collection of poems & prose-poems by George F. Butterick (1942-1988), the most-respected (if tragically short-lived) American poet & scholar who was indeed the foremost authority on Charles Olson (1910-1970), the towering Black Mountain-&-Beyond super-influential Poet's-Poet who is our favorite Maximus Obscurantist. Many of the poems in this collection have a definite Olsonian style/influence- mythological, expansive imagery, complex structures, and deep philosophical insights. Along with his friend & colleague Albert Glover (b. 1942), Butterick was mentored by Olson at the State University of New York (SUNY) at Buffalo during the 1960s, with Glover and Butterick ultimately co-authoring Olson's first bibliography "A Bibliography of Works by Charles Olson" in 1967. Before his untimely passing from cancer at the age of 45, he built a definitive mountain of editorial & critical published scholarship including the ten-volume Charles Olson & Robert Creeley: The Complete Correspondence, an enormously valuable, often thrilling record of the friendship between Olson and one of the most influential poets to be associated with the Beat Generation, Robert Creeley (1926-2005). Ultimately Butterick was extremely instrumental in the acceptance of Olson as a major figure in American poetry. His edition of Olson's The Maximus Poems (See Item No. 8431 for Butterick's process) received the Los Angeles Book Award, and in 1988 he was awarded the American Book Award for The Collected Poems of Charles Olson. Fellow Black Mountain poet and Yonkers, New York native Joel Oppenheimer (1930-1988) generously provided the singular glowing back cover review. See Item No.s 3233, 8425, 8429, & 8431 et al. for more from Butterick. From the collection of Albert Glover (b. 1942), the aforementioned American scholar, bibliographer, author & publisher who is the foremost living authority on aforementioned literary giant Olson with whom we're honored to be acquainted. At half title-page, Butterick has inscribed and signed to Glover & dated in cerulean blue ink: "For Al, | with every best wish, | (signed) George aloft | 2/77." Trade-Format Softcover Original: First Edition as stated at copyright page, first printing though not explicated as such thereon. A most collectible book of poetry from Butterick, in its rarest contemporary form, greatly enriched by Butterick's friend-to-friend inscription, signature & date, with utmost relevant & extremely distinguished provenance. In relatively fine-to-very fine condition with mild rubbing and age-toning mostly to fine edges of front, back covers & spine; mild bumping to corners and fine edges of same; mild age-toning to text block. Interior fine-to-very fine with very mild age-toning to fine edges of pages leaves; mild bumping of corners to some of same. Fine-Very Fine. [Item #8433]

Price: $45.00