What Shall We Do Without Us; The Voice and Vision of Kenneth Patchen.

San Francisco, CA Sierra Club Books: Yolla Bolly Press, 1984. Hardcover First Edition, so stated. INSCRIBED AND SIGNED BY PATCHEN'S WIFE, MIRIAM PATCHEN AND BY HIS PUBLISHER JAMES LAUGHLIN. First Edition, so stated. Very Near Fine in Very Near Fine DJ: Both book and DJ show only minute indications of use. The Book shows barely discernible foxing just starting at the top edge; the binding shows the slightest lean possible (and still be discernible) and remains perfectly secure; the text is clean. The DJ shows only the mildest rubbing; the price has not been clipped; mylar-protected. Overall, Virtually 'As New'. NOT a Remainder, Book-Club, or Ex-Library. Folio. Unpaginated. Afterward by James Laughlin. Hardback with DJ. Opening this book to any of the three dozen prints it contains is like suddenly remembering what it was like to be a kid sitting in a tree, dangling your legs, and singing any old song you felt like singing irreverently. Patchen's colorful figures and backgrounds and words remind me of Kandinsky and Klee and maybe even of the boy William Carlos Williams must have been. This is art that makes me smile and gently reminds me to pick my battles, tell the truth, and, while there's still time, gaze long and selfishly and irresponsibly at the night sky. Kenneth Patchen is a passionately unique, uniquely passionate poet -- and that's never been shown to better advantage than in this volume of his poem-paintings, rich with vibrant colors & insightful, whimsical, prophetic words. The afterward by publisher James Laughlin rightfully compares Patchen's work here to William Blake's illuminated books, which also intertwine art & poetry. Both men are moved by transcendant vision, both are outraged by cruelty & injustice, both strive for something better than the mundane drabness of so much everyday life. Kenneth Patchen was always very much his own man, influenced by many sources, but belonging to no school or group other than his own -- or from another angle, belonging to the human race. All his work is well worth seeking out! Patchen's classic "one liners" are right on the dot. They are delivered by fanciful, fantastic creatures, beasties and birdies and spirits. The generalized adjective for a poet is "poor". Yes, Kenneth was sick and poor, but ,oh so rich in his poetry output. He was the town crier of a generation for the underdog, uncomfortable for the conservative. " Peace or Perish". He was born in 1911 in Niles, Ohio and graduated in 1928 with honors from Harding High School in Warren,Ohio. He died in 1972 in Palo Alto.,CA. Over 30 of his books were published, and many translated in various languages. As Kenneth stated : "Now when I get back there, I expect to find all of you marching through the streets with great bunches of wild flowers in your arms:".... you bet, we shall just do that. Never giving up, he created these painted poems while seriously ill for 13 years confined to his bed. INSCRIBED AND SIGNED BY PATCHEN'S WIFE, MIRIAM PATCHEN AND BY HIS PUBLISHER JAMES LAUGHLIN.