About this Item
Seven pieces of promotional material related to Jonathan Williams and his Jargon Society. Three pieces relate to Jonathan Williams himself, three to the Jargon Society, and one to The Nantahala Foundation, Williams' literary non-profit. Publishing little-known poets and writers was a difficult job and kept him constantly traveling and advertising and travel to keep readers interested, and money in the bank. (History has shown his taste was ahead of its time.) Overall near fine. The items are as follows: Jonathan Williams: 1. FLAHERTY, Joe. The Book Bus Interviews: Jonathan Williams [in]: Book Bus 7. [Circa 1977]; interviewed in 1975. Bifolium. [4]pp. Horizontal fold lightly toned and one stain, very good. An interview with Jonathan Williams that reads pp. [4, 1, 2-3]. Pages [2-3] also contain ads for magazines, journals, and anthologies. Joe Flaherty and his wife took their book bus up and down the east coast from 1975 to 1979, celebrating the work of small presses at concerts and festivals. This is presumably an advertising piece and nod to Williams. We were unable to find any other interviews of this sort, or another copy of this one. 2. The Books of Jonathan Williams. 1972. Published from England. One sheet folded twice to make eight panels. A bit of light foxing, two words underlined in ink, just about near fine. Includes blurbs, books for sale, and portraits of Williams by Guy Davenport, Ralph Eugene Meatyard, R.B. Kitaj, Kovais Tamas, and Willard Midgette. 3. Jonathan Williams: Poet, Publisher, Book Designer. 1962. Printed in blue and black. Narrow bifolium. Fine. A CV-of-sorts, beginning with his education, books, appearances, publishing and design history, and awards, and finishing with a two-page essay on his philosophy and welcoming both work and money. Nantahala Foundation: 4. Nantahala Foundation. [Circa 1962.] Tri-fold pamphlet. Fine. Lists officers (James Laughlin, Charles Mingus, Charles Olson, Kenneth Patchen, Aaron Siskind, Minor White, Zukofsky, and Dr. Williams are on the Advisory Council), scope, complimentary blurbs from literary bigwigs, and a list of projects past, present, and future. In item number six listed below (1967), Williams writes that Nantahala was "established several years ago to handle non-commercial, trans-galactic, publishing in a proper, hard-headed American way." Jargon: 5. The Jargon Society, 1951-1975. 1975. Octavo. [16]pp. Illustrated in black and white. Stapled self-wrappers. Fine. Contains a list of the press's first 84 books (some noted as forthcoming), and seven pages of illustrated full-page ads for individual publications. With a bifolium order form listing titles in print laid-in. 6. [Caption Title]: Small Jonathan-Apologue for Literary-Labor Day. September 4, 1967. Aspen, Colorado. Three leaves stapled at the corner, printed rectos only on Aspen Institute for Humanistic Studies letterhead, where he was currently Scholar-in-residence. Folded twice, else just about fine. Begins Williams: "*Jargon* has been, obviously, fiddling while American burns (and burns others)." An update on himself, *Jargon*, and titles in process. 7. [Caption Title]: LOVE'S OLD REFRAIN; or, ON, WISCONSIN! Highlands, North Carolina. January 1, 1965. Three leaves stapled at the corner, printed rectos only, folded twice else just about fine. Begins with a note that The Asphodel Book Shop will now be distributing material from all of Williams' ventures. He goes on to list books in print and forthcoming, and a bit about himself. The final paragraph notes that he currently has 1,027 members on his active mailing list. He mentions this to opine that only five ordered a certain book in advance; the other 1,022 he refers to a favorite Kenneth Patchen quote of his, used as an epigraph in this note: "People who say they 'love' poetry and never buy any are a pack of cheap sons-of-bitches." A nice collection of promotional material where Williams' wit, charm, and unflinching desire to get his writers' books into han.
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