THE TOTEM PROTECTORATES: Being the Assignment of Same to the Honorable Senators, Lawmakers of the United States Government, toward the Preservation of Life and Spirit in these Lands

GARY SNYDER & ALLEN GINSBERG

Published by Hermes Free Press, San Francisco, 1972

About this Item

A small, finely printed folio in publisher's grey handsewn wrappers, fore-edge untrimmed, with cover title in dark brown. Very near fine in sewn wrappers. One small moisture spot near top front edge (visible in photo) else fine. No name, bookplate, or markings of any kind. Pages are bright and white. A rare, influential early piece of environmental activism by the Zephyrus Image group from 1972. Colophon states "This text was set in Centaur & Cloister types and printed on Bergstrom papers at Hermes Free Press San Francisco Spring 1972." Although no author(s) are credited this book is an extremely rare collaboration between the American poets Gary Snyder and Allen Ginsberg. It's purpose was a poetic and political gesture that assigned a specific endangered plant, animal, or place (e.g., the Florida Manatee, the Grizzly Bear, the Grand Canyon, the Great Family of Whales, the Bald Eagle, etc.) as a "totem protector" to each of the 100 sitting U.S. Senators. Copies of the book were actually mailed to all 100 senators in a printed manila envelope (missing from this copy), intended as an "anti-ecocide mailshot" to raise ecological awareness. While it had no legal standing, the work is considered a "high water mark" in books relating to environmental activism and a significant piece of counterculture literature, reflecting the authors' deep environmental concerns. A quite rare item and a stopper for Gary Snyder or Allen Ginsberg completists with only a small handful of copies located in institutional libraries. See all photos. Size: Folio - over 12" - 15" tall.

Seller Inventory # 47156

Bibliographic Details

• Title: THE TOTEM PROTECTORATES: Being the Assignment of Same to the Honorable Senators, Lawmakers of the United States Government, toward the Preservation of Life and Spirit in these Lands
• Publisher: Hermes Free Press, San Francisco
• Publication Date: 1972
• Binding: Wraps
• Edition: First Edition.
• Condition: Fine