Howl (Inscribed First Printing of this Edition)

Ginsberg, Allen

ISBN 10: 0060156287 / ISBN 13: 9780060156282

Published by Harper and Row, 1986

About this Item

Inscribed First Printing of this 30th anniversary presentation of Allen Ginsberg's Beat Generation-defining long poem "Howl." Includes a bunch of interesting material to accompany Ginsberg's self-described "final text" of the poem. Includes a facsimile of the original mid-1950s with Ginsberg's extensive revisions and corrections and subsequent drafts as the poem evolved. Plus, the poem is fully annotated by Ginsberg. There's also a variety of material related to the initial publication and contemporary reactions. Inscribed by Allen Ginsberg on the title page to a previous owner. The inscription is also dated by Ginsberg. 194 pages, illustrated. Minimal sign of previous use.

Seller Inventory # 016545

Bibliographic Details

• Title: Howl (Inscribed First Printing of this Edition)
• Publisher: Harper and Row
• Publication Date: 1986
• Language: English
• ISBN 10: 0060156287
• ISBN 13: 9780060156282
• Binding: Hardcover
• Printing: 1st Printing
• Condition: Near Fine
• Dust Jacket Condition: Fine
• Signed: Signed by Author(s)

About this title

Synopsis

Published in 1956 as the title poem of Allen Ginsberg's first collection, "Howl" is a prophetic masterpiece that overcame censorship trails to become one of the most widely read poems of the century. The annotated Howl is the poet's own re-creation of the long process of composition of a revolutionary poem that broke new ground in America poetry through its expansive poetic form, tonal range, and freshness of spirit.

From the Back Cover

The prophetic poem that launched a generation when it was first published in 1956 is here presented in a commemorative 40th Anniversary Edition. When the book arrived from its British printers, it was seized almost immediately by U.S. Customs, and shortly thereafter the San Francisco police arrested its publisher and editor, Lawrence Ferlinghetti, together with the City Lights Bookstore manager, Shigeyoshi Murao. The two of them were charged with disseminating obscene literature, and the case went to trial in the Municipal Court of Judge Clayton Horn. A parade of distinguished literary and academic witnesses persuaded the judge that the title poem was indeed not obscene and that it had "redeeming social significance". Thus was Howl and Other Poems freed to become the single most influential poetic work of the post World War II era, with over 800,000 copies now in print.