Poem

New York: The Phoenix Book Shop, 1973. First edition, one of the author's copies from the lettered issue. Copy "L" (presumably chosen for "Loren") of 26 lettered copies (out of a total edition of 126) signed by Bishop on the colophon. This copy bears Bishop's presentation inscription: "For Loren MacIver & Lloyd Frankenberg - love, Elizabeth Bishop" on the title-page. Laid in is an exceptionally interesting TLS from Bishop to MacIver and Frankenberg concerning the publication of Poem: "I've always disliked ‘pretty little books' like this - However, Bill Ferguson, the printer, is a friend of mine here & he wanted to do it for some time & so I finally gave in. (The Phoenix Book Shop man is quite another type...) And since they have just arrived, or were here when I got back - I'm sending you one of my copies with a real, EXTRA signature - whee! You can sell it for a small sum if need be sometime - Love, Elizabeth". The artist Loren MacIver was a longtime friend and correspondent of Bishop's and contributed the dust jacket design for Bishop's second collection, Poems North & South - A Cold Spring, in 1955. Their friendship dates from as early as 1938, at which time Bishop was writing to Marianne Moore from MacIver's Provincetown summer home. The poet and literary critic Lloyd Frankenberg, who married MacIver in 1929, wrote critical studies of Bishop 1946 and 1949 which are among the earliest appraisals of Bishop's work. A superb association copy. Important association copies of Bishop's books are rare; this is one of the very few we have seen or handled. Housed in a custom green cloth clamshell box with a black morocco spine label. Oblong small 8vo, original string-tied unprinted stiff wrappers, marbled outer wrapper, printed paper label. Housed in a custom green cloth clamshell box with a black morocco spine label.