Eight Signed First Editions

Levendosky, Charles [William "Gatz" Hjortsberg]

About this Item

A lot of eight first edition poetry collections, all signed, and most inscribed to Levendosky friend, author, screenwriter and Brautigan biographer, William "Gatz" Hjortsberg -- from his personal library. The warm inscriptions on these books tell the story of a decades-long friendship between two writers, both from New York, who both came West for the bulk of their lives.Perimeters. Middletown, CT: Wesleyan UP, 1970. Signed and inscribed to Gatz and, his then wife, Marian, dated 3/12/70. Illlustrated wraps. Rubbing to wraps and minor edge wear. Very good.Aspects of the Vertical. Norman, OK: Point Riders Press, 1978. Signed and inscribed to Gatz and, his then wife, Marian, dated 7/9/78: "From those hazy beginning in St. Croix - from those dreams to be writers . and all the good warmth and friendship between." Illustrated wraps. Slight soiling to back wrap. Near fine.Distances. Story, WY: Dooryard Press, 1980. Signed and inscribed to Gatz, dated 12/15/80: "This small book to share my new work -- and to make the distance closer." Letterpress chapbook, sewn, limited to 300 copies. Drawings by George Vlastos. Slight sunning to edges, one corner dog-eared. Near fine.Wyoming Fragments. Cody, WY: Buffalo Point Press, 1981. Signed and inscribed to Gatz and, his then second wife, Sharon, dated 4/19/82: "A small tribute to this land which I have grown to love -- let us travel over it soon to a meeting ground." Chapbook with photos and drawings by John Banks. Sunning to top edge. Near fine.Nocturnes. Story, WY: Dooryard Press, 1982. Signed and inscribed to Sharon and Gatz, dated 12/15/82. Handset letterpress chapbook on Arches paper sewn into Canson covers, limited to 610 copies. Drawings by Sylvia Long. Fine.Hands and Other Poems. Norman, OK: Point Riders Press, 1986. Signed and inscribed to Gatz, dated 11/18/86: "This book of small touches -- the lyric poet in me comes out forcefully . and friend, we are brothers in the word and out." White wraps with cover photos by David Priest. Fine.Circle of Light. Glendo, WY: High Plains Press, 1995. Signed and inscribed to Gatz: "We started so many years ago to stretch for our dreams to become writers . those years in St. Croix . how formative they were for each of us." Illustrated wraps. Promo card for the book launch event at Casper, Wyoming's Blue Heron Books & Espresso laid-in. FineThe Peeping Tom Poems. Livingston, Montana: Clark City Press, 2003. Signed on title page. Dark blue cloth with silver spine titling and author's facsimile signature on front board. Dark blue endpapers. Gray jacket with Russell Chatham painting of a raven. Illustrated throughout with raven sketches by Chatham. Levendosky's final book. Publisher's promo cards laid-in, one addressed and mailed to Gatz at his cabin near McLeod, Montana. Fine in fine jacket.Originally from New York, Levendosky moved to Wyoming where he became an widely-syndicated editor for the Casper Star-Tribune, the state poet laureate, and a staunch defender of the First Admendment. He was a reipient of an NEA fellowship, the H.L. Menchen Award, the Silver Gavel Award, and awards from the American Library Association, the Free Press Association, and the American Board of Trial Advocates. He died in 2004. Seller Inventory # 38577

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Title: Eight Signed First Editions