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NOTES OF WOE.
(Iowa City, Iowa: The Stone Wall Press, 1968). 206 x 130 mm. (8 1/8 x 5 1/8"). 48 pp. ONE OF 230 COPIES.
Publisher's terra cotta paper boards, front cover lettered in gilt. SPECIALLY SIGNED BY THE AUTHOR on the title page. Spine evenly sunned, otherwise virtually pristine.
This early collection of poetry by a Pulitzer Prize- and National Book Award-winning poet was printed by an excellent Midwestern press known for promoting young talent. James Tate (1943-2015) wrote character-driven, often narrative poems that balanced the absurd with the heartbreaking. In a 2006 interview with Charles Simic for the "Paris Review," Tate reflects on his own work, saying: "There is nothing better than [to move the reader deeply]. I love my funny poems, but I'd rather break your heart. And if I can do both in the same poem, that's the best. If you laughed earlier in the poem, and I bring you close to tears in the end, that's the best." Titled after a verse in a William Blake poem, the present collection was published just a year after Tate's debut book, and is notable for its attractive paper and printing. Founded by Kim Merker (1932-2013) in 1957, The Stone Wall Press specialized in printing original works by up-and-coming poets. In addition to Tate, Merker also published early works by fellow Pulitzer winners Philip Levine and Mark Strand, among many others. His philosophy of printing is summed up in his New York Times obituary: "Producing a book the old way, Mr. Merker told his students, was a puzzle of a million choices: the composition and thickness of the paper, typeface, ink color, page size, lines per page, margin size, amount of flourish on the title page, the relative size of lowercase and capital letters. He described the process, one student recalled, as 'building the text, letter by letter, word by word, line by line,' until the printer 'inhabits the work, gives that work a home.'" (ST20338-080)
Price: $250.00