Mood, No. 24: Containing Pound Items

16pp.; 21.2 x 15.1 cm. Pale orange paper wrappers printed in black; stapled. Mood, No. 24 (Fall 1950), one of two issues of Ernest Trova's literary magazine The Mood dedicated to EP; the other being No. 23: Ezra Pound (May 1950). Possibly the final issue of Mood, not much information on the magazine exists and issues are incredibly scarce, being locally produced for cheap and of small run. This issue in particular marks something of a misstep in the care taken over Pound's post-war publications in America. With Laughlin and Eliot's (and Dorothy Pound's careful) suppression of EP's political material, the few journal pieces to appear between 1945 and 1949 are both one-off and literary. While in England, 1950 saw the release of Peter Russell's Money Pamphlets, reproducing Pound's incendiary wartime (and thus somewhat historic) material, the attitude towards publishing in America was quite different. In 1950 publication of Four Pages also began, "edited" by Dallam Simpson, shadow-edited by EP, and which at Dorothy Pound's request was strictly not to use either her or EP's names. The same is true for the later reviews (Strike, Edge, Voice; 1955-1957), in which EP's contributions are either unsigned, pseudonymous, or literary. Mood, No. 24, and the preceding No. 23 (in which Gallup only accounts for the Introductory Text-Book; Gallup C1724) are most unusual in their blase use of Pound's name (see the cover of No. 23 here). No. 24 even more so for its inclusion of inflammatory material. One piece in particular which does not appear to be reprinted elsewhere until collected in Contributions to Periodicals (which butchers the format, suggesting the piece is from Nine), "A Draft Bill of Rights Adapted for the Needs of Great Britain," is a Gessellite criticism of tax, proclamation for the individual's land rights, and suggestion for elections to be held among trade representatives, which asks Americans to consider the same. The reason why Trova so liberally used Pound's name is unknown--all relevant BRBL material remains offline--but is undoubtedly unusual for its bannering EP's name and views in America at this time. Trova (1927-2009), at the time a young man as Simpson or Stock, later gained a reputation as an American sculptor, his series Falling Man received international acclaim for sometime and was displayed publicly around St. Louis. No study conducted (or found) on his relationship with EP. No information available on G. Wendleton, nor why Trova gave his initial as "T." Light pencil to the front cover reading "Mercure de France, April '49 on EP," referring to an article in the Gazette at the very back of the issue, "Ezra Pound a-t-il trahi?" containing responses by DP and "Shakespear and Parkyn" to accusations of Pound's fascism by Jacques Vallette in the previous issue; further letters from Rome, and a final word from the editor (?) Camillo Pellizzi, former President of the ex-Institute of Fascist Culture of Rome, stating that EP was never a member of the Fascist Party. See here, p.764. Short tear to fore-edge, two inches from bottom, front cover and the first six pages. Three spots of fox near the top staple. Gallup C1726.…