Between the Covers

Unbound. Portfolio. Eight gatefold pamphlets, each made from folio sheets folded twice to form eight pages. All housed in an envelope hand written "Eight Northwest Poets" along with each poet’s name. Near fine with very light toning and a chip to the corner of one pamphlet (Stafford) in a very good envelope toned and chipped at the corners.

A series of eight matched portfolios published by the Portland Art Museum for the Northwest Poetry Meeting on July 9-12, 1959 and held in connection with an art exhibit the following week. Each pamphlet paired a poet with a painter or sculptor (many of whom were important Northwest artists) who provided a cover image for each pamphlet.

The most notable pamphlet comes from William Stafford and is one of his earliest separately published items, a collection of seven poems with accompanying art by Sally Haley, that predates his first professionally published book by a year. Also included are the first separately published works of Richard Hugo and Carolyn Kizer with art from Louise Bunce and Hilda Morris respectively. Additional contributors include poets John Haislip, Carol Hall, Kenneth O. Hanson, Robert Huff, and David Wagoner; and artists Margaret Tompkins, James McGarrell, Milton Wilson, Tony Mellara, and William Ivey. While individual issues from this important portfolio appear on the market, complete sets are rare with only four sets listed on *OCLC*.

Item #379559