Hurrah for Anything - Nah, Not Today
I finally got around to reading Hurrah for Anything. I am not a fan. I really want to be. I was much more charmed by Poemscapes. Must have been the booze. Sitting with a bloody Mariam, extra spicy with a stalk of Celery Flute for garnish, I am less than enthused by Hurrah. Too early for whimsical. My head is too fuzzy and my eye too clouded to see it clearly.
Jonathan Williams printed a ton of these. Can a run of 2,500 be right? Jargon as mass market paperback. Williams went all out with this title, including a remarkable limited edition of 100 with hand-painted covers by Patchen. I cannot believe that I do not feel the mojo on these either. Must be the holiday blahs. Scrooge to be sure. The books are a real gift but I just keep thinking about the Charles Bukowski limiteds from Black Sparrow with the paintings tipped in or as a frontispiece, which I really do not like at all. They seem manufactured despite the handmade touches. The Patchen limiteds are of a different order and are truly remarkable examples of book art. Come April I am going to search for these at the New York Antiquarian Show. I am positive that I will be wowed by them.
JB
Subscribe to:
Post Comments (Atom)
0 comments:
Post a Comment