The Art of Worldly Wisdom. by REXROTH, Kenneth - 1980.

Sausalito, CA: Golden Goose Press, 1953. Second Edition (1953.) Hardcover lacking dust jacket. 8vo with 117 pages of poetry. The book is in good condition with some shelf wear and bumping to edges. Interior is clean and tight. Kenneth Rexroth (1905-1982) was an American poet, regarded as a central figure in the San Francisco Renaissance. Grey spine/black text. #031483. Second Edition. Hardcover. Good/No DJ. 8vo. Poetry.

Sausalito: GOLDEN GOOSE PRESS, 1953. First edition thus. Hardcover. Near fine/Near fine. First edition thus. Hardcover. 8'' x 5 3/4. 117pp. Tiny hole in dust jacket, otherwise clean nice copy.

Golden Goose Press. A beautiful crisp clean hardcover copy in very good condition, former owner's name written neatly in ink on front endpaper, light age toning to textblock and pastedowns, spine lightly sunned. DJ in very good condition with small chip at head and small closed tear at front, now in protective mylar cover. . Very Good. Hardcover. 1953.

Prairie City, IL: The Decker Press, 1949. First edition. Hardcover. Very Good. 117 pp. Light green paper-covered boards over brown cloth backstrip, spine lettered in silver and front board lettered in brown. Corners heavily rubbed, minor general edgewear. An uncommon Rexroth book- although 500 copies were slated to be published, far less than that were bound, and the sheets were later used under different imprints. This copy unnumbered. Inscribed by Rexroth on the front free endpaper and dated Xmas 1950, an early inscription. The ink from the inscription has offset onto the front pastedown. Errata slip laid in.

Santa Barbara, CA: Bradford Morrow & Allan Covici, 1980. First Edition, Third Issue. One of an issue limited to 50 numbered copies signed by the author; this is copy #23. Additionally signed and inscribed by Rexroth on the front free endpaper to a fellow poet in the year of publication: “For David Dahl, best wishes. Kenneth Rexroth, May 80.” The book’s interesting publication history is detailed at the colophon and reads in full: “This first signed, limited edition of The Art of Worldly Wisdom published by Bradford Morrow & Allan Covici consists of 50 numbered and 26 lettered copies, all signed by the author. This book is comprised of the original printed sheets for the Decker Press edition (Prairie City, 1949) which was never published; thereafter these same sheets were trimmed and used by the Golden Goose Press (Sausalito, 1953) for the first published edition, adding the ‘Second Preface’ to the text. The present edition adds a new Afterword by the author. Typography and printing by… Read More

Sausalito: golden Goose Press, 1953. Hardcover. Very Good/Very Good. Cloth over decorated paper and boards, bound with sheets from the Decker Press 1949 printing which was announced but never officially published due to the murder of it's director. Very good copy in very good dust jacket with a few small chips and one round drink stain on cover. Inscribed by Kenneth Rexroth to Henry Ely, a bay area reference librarian, in 1957.