One of 300 copies, elephant folio size, 30 leaves, with companion volume, in box, with plexiglass viewer. A superb marriage of poetry and typography, "Shaped Poetry" consists of a suite of thirty typographical printed sheets, with "the component letters and symbols of [the] poems.so arranged upon the page that they form a visual image reflecting the meaning or subject matter of the text" (n.b., from the bibliography of The Arion Press). "The selected poems range from 300 B.C. Greece through George Herbert's 'Easter Wings', Mallarme's 'A Throw of the Dice', Apollinaire's 'It Is Raining', E.E. Cummings' 'Grasshopper', to Dieter Roth's 'Concrete Poetry' and John Hollander's 'Swan and Shadow' of 1970. The other poets include (in chronological order) Simias, Theocritus, Porfyrius Optatianus, Eustorg de Beaulieu, Robert Angot, Robert Herrick, Justus Georg Schottel, Charles François Panard, Lewis Carroll, Christian Morgenstern, F.T. Marinetti, André Breton, Gertrude Stein, Man Ray, Dylan Thomas, Eugen Gomringer, May Swenson, Philip Lamantia, Augusto de Campos, Ian Hamilton Finlay, Andrei Voznesensky, and Andrew Hoyem" (ibid). With the original plexiglass viewer, so often lacking, the viewer with a prop for display and a device on the back for wall hanging, made by Frank Vineri of Èclat Studios. ___DESCRIPTION: The poems printed with different hand-set types on a variety of handmade papers from "mills around the world [and] from small batches in the inventories of the Grabhorn Press and Arion Press, with some sheets specially made for this project" (ibid), all but one printed on the front only, and one circular accordion-fold of ten panels; the broadsides elephant folio size (16" by 12"), the accordion-fold item large quarto size (10 1/2" tall, measuring 14 1/2" when closed), all contained within a black heavy paper wallet with grey lettering. The companion volume includes an extensive introduction and detailed notes on each poem; also elephant folio size (16" by 12"), 36 pp., with the same heavy black paper wraps. Both contained within a drop-back box with the front, back, and spine covered with black cloth, white lettering debossed on the front, the sides of the box being black styrofoam which gently protects the sheets within, the box measuring 18" by 14" by 1 1/2". The plexiglass viewer consists of two pieces held together with screws (which are opened to insert a single broadside for viewing); the bottom of black plexiglass with shaped devices on the back for hanging, the front of clear plexiglass, still with the instruction sheet currently in view. ___CONDITION: The broadsides and companion volume all fine overall, clean and bright, the binding on the companion volume strong, and entirely free of prior owner markings; one or two of the broadsides with a hint of edgewear, else fine. The box near fine, strong and sturdy, clean but with a few light, stray marks. The viewer also near fine, the plexiglass clean but with very light overall scratches and a few small spots of white on the hanging device on the back. Even with its few faults, still a lovely example with the scarce viewer. ___CITATION: Arion Press Bibliography, no. 8. ___POSTAGE: Please note that together the box and viewer are quite large and heavy, and therefore additional postage may apply; please inquire for details. ___Swan's Fine Books is pleased to be a member of the ABAA, ILAB, and IOBA and we stand behind every book we sell. Please contact us with any questions you may have, we are here to help.
