19820 (1 results)

Hardcover. Condition: Very Good. Dust Jacket Condition: Good. 1st Edition. "Public Speech" is a 1936 collection of poems by Archibald MacLeish, one-time Librarian of Congress (1939 - 1944), and a three-time Pultizer Prize winner for poetry. MacLeish is considered to have been part of the Modernist school of poetry. This collection was published while he was serving as Librarian of congress . He was one of the finest poets of his generation. Here are two excerpts from the poem that starts the book: POLE STAR FOR THIS YEAR Where the wheel of light is turned: Where the axle of the night is Turned: is motionless; where holds And has held ancient sureness always -- Liberty of man and mind That once was mind's necessity And made the West blaze up has burned To bloody embers and the lamp's out -- TITLE : Public Speech AUTHOR : Archibald MacLeish ( 1892 - 1982 ) IMPRINT : Farrar & Rinehart PLACE : New York DATE : 1936 EDITION : First Edition, Second Printing (March, 1936) PHYSICAL DESCRIPTION: Trade hardcover; decorated title page ; unpaginated [30 pages of text]; approximately 6" x 9 "; dark blue cloth with title, etc. lettered in gilt against a red panel on spine and front board; decorative title on title page lettered white against a blue panel ; printed dust-jacket. CONDITION -- BOOK : VERY GOOD / JACKET : GOOD -- This is a previously owned book that remains clean and attractive, with the following particulars noted : EXTERIOR : Soft bumps to spine extremities, with accompanying slight abrasion thereon - else clean and presentable. BINDING : Solid - The book has obviously been read, and so is not so tight as when issued. INTERIOR : End-papers are much toned ( a result of materials used - glue, etc.) - scattered, barely perceptible smudging, else clean and presentable - the front fly-leaf has the original owner's name and address - the rear paste-down has a bookshop address label (Economy Book and Stationery Store) DUST-JACKET : Considerably worn with tears, creases, loss, smudging and spotting - looks passable under archival mylar cover.