WILLIAMS, WILLIAM CARLOS. Poems. [Rutherford, New Jersey: Privately Printed for the Author by Reid Howell] 1909. 12mo, original light brown wrappers, printed in black on front cover, stapled as issued, front wrapper and front flyleaf detached (occurring since the Goodwin sale), a few very light stains on covers; half morocco slipcase. FIRST EDITION, Second State, OF THE AUTHOR'S NOTORIOUSLY RARE FIRST BOOK, PRESENTATION COPY, inscribed at top of recto of front flyleaf by the poet: "W. Williams given consciously. Jan. 7 - 1910"; below this, apparently in the recipient's hand: "and Received with thanks! [Larda?] Metcalfe Leipzig"; decorative title-page designed by Edgar Williams the author's brother. One hundred copies of the first state of Poems were printed, but the printing errors were so bad that Williams had the pamphlet printed again. Of this first state but two copies have survived -- both in institutional libraries. One hundred copies of the second state were also printed, but the great majority were inadvertently burned later. In her A Bibliography of William Carlos Williams (1968) Emily Mitchell Wallace recorded nine copies of this second state: six in institutional libraries and three (including this one) in private hands. Since then no new copies have been added to the census. Since 1968 one of the privately held copies -- and also apparently the other -- have gone to institutional collections, presumably leaving this Goodwin--Engelhard copy the last one in private hands. (When it appeared in the Goodwin sale in 1977, this was the first copy of Poems to appear at auction, according to American Book Prices Current. ) Wallace A1b. Laid in is a typed postcard signed ("Bill") from Williams to a Mrs. Byron [rest of name eradicated] in East Cleveland, 14 Jan. N.Y., 1 page, oblong 12mo , apparently regarding this copy: "Wonderful luck! the booklet has of course no literary value but for an antiquarian, as for a library it is priceless. The value goes on increasing and being a unique (there are no others extant now) you may name your own price..." Provenance : Jonathan Goodwin (sale, Part I, Sotheby Parke Bernet, 29 March 1977, lot 275).
WILLIAMS, WILLIAM CARLOS. Poems. [Rutherford, New Jersey: Privately Printed for the Author by Reid Howell] 1909. 12mo, original light brown wrappers, printed in black on front cover, stapled as issued, front wrapper and front flyleaf detached (occurring since the Goodwin sale), a few very light stains on covers; half morocco slipcase. FIRST EDITION, Second State, OF THE AUTHOR'S NOTORIOUSLY RARE FIRST BOOK, PRESENTATION COPY, inscribed at top of recto of front flyleaf by the poet: "W. Williams given consciously. Jan. 7 - 1910"; below this, apparently in the recipient's hand: "and Received with thanks! [Larda?] Metcalfe Leipzig"; decorative title-page designed by Edgar Williams the author's brother. One hundred copies of the first state of Poems were printed, but the printing errors were so bad that Williams had the pamphlet printed again. Of this first state but two copies have survived -- both in institutional libraries. One hundred copies of the second state were also printed, but the great majority were inadvertently burned later. In her A Bibliography of William Carlos Williams (1968) Emily Mitchell Wallace recorded nine copies of this second state: six in institutional libraries and three (including this one) in private hands. Since then no new copies have been added to the census. Since 1968 one of the privately held copies -- and also apparently the other -- have gone to institutional collections, presumably leaving this Goodwin--Engelhard copy the last one in private hands. (When it appeared in the Goodwin sale in 1977, this was the first copy of Poems to appear at auction, according to American Book Prices Current. ) Wallace A1b. Laid in is a typed postcard signed ("Bill") from Williams to a Mrs. Byron [rest of name eradicated] in East Cleveland, 14 Jan. N.Y., 1 page, oblong 12mo , apparently regarding this copy: "Wonderful luck! the booklet has of course no literary value but for an antiquarian, as for a library it is priceless. The value goes on increasing and being a unique (there are no others extant now) you may name your own price..." Provenance : Jonathan Goodwin (sale, Part I, Sotheby Parke Bernet, 29 March 1977, lot 275).
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.jpg "Source: Christie's")
.jpg "Source: Christie's")
