Selected Poems
(New York): (New Directions), 1949. Alvin Lustig (dust jacket). First Thus. Hardcover with Dust Jacket. 12mo. Pp. viii, 184. Frontis. portrait (Pound, by Wyndham Lewis). Bound in red cloth with black lettering stamped on spine. Former owner name on front free endpaper, and a short note referencing a poem. In the price-clipped dust jacket that has edge-wear, spine faded, and a couple small dents. Dust jacket is now housed in a removable, clear archival sleeve. Very Good- / Good+. Item #6286
Number 22 in the publisher's "New Classics" series. For the contentious publisher-designer interaction the dust jacket design begat, please see Purity of Aim: The Book Jacket Designs of Alvin Lustig by Ned Drew and Paul Sternberger, p. 47. Lustig initially sought to evoke a sinister aspect of Pound, no doubt in reference to the poet's endorsement of Fascism, whereas publisher James McLaughlin, for whom Pound served as a mentor, proclaimed Pound "one of the sweetest people alive" and sought to blame his political leanings on the poet having gone crazy.
Price: $40.00