Divers Droppings


When you become obsessed with a press, you clamour for anything that rolled off it, no matter how seemingly insubstantial. Books, magazines, postcards, handbills, invoices, errata sheets, publication notices, to say nothing of test sheets and other proofing material. Nothing is too obscure or ephemeral.
I just saw on Abebooks a copy of A Snarling Garland of Xmas Verses, which was published by Divers Press in Mallorca in 1954. This single folded sheet tipped into a black wrapper contains five poems by Creeley: "Chanson," "Hi There," "Don't Sign Anything," "Sopa," and "The Conspiracy." There must be many out there obsessed by Divers Press, this Christmas curiousity is $2500.
More in my price range is A Handbook of Fancy Pigeons by H.P. Macklin. Seemingly coming out of left field in terms of content, in terms of format this book is classic Divers Press. But really is the content so odd? Wasn't Creeley a chicken farmer once upon a time in New Hampshire before he arrived in Mallorca. Didn't Golden Goose Press in Columbus OH publish Creeley's first book of poems Le Fou in 1952? So Fancy Pigeons isn't so cuckoo after all and with glued-on photographs and an understated cover that is a perfect expression of Divers-ity, it is anything but chickenshit.
JB

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