CIOPW: [Charcoal, Ink, Oil, Pencil, Watercolors]

New York: Covici=Friede. 1931. First edition, first printing. First edition, first printing. Signed, numbered, limited edition of 391 copies, this copy numbered 279. Rough-woven burlap covered boards with facsimile of Cummings' signature stamped in silver to the front panel. A very good copy, the burlap covering the boards cracked and loose along the outer hinges (seemingly a common occurrence with this title), with a little rubbing and loss to the outer corners and spine tips. The binding itself remains, firm and square. The lightly toned contents are clean throughout. Loosely laid is the printed card of the Gotham Book Mart Gallery, New York, with the title and date of the book typed centrally. Signed by the author in green watercolour across the title page (Firmage's bibliography notes variants signed in red and blue). Hand-numbered (279 of 391) on the limitation page to the verso of the title page. A lavishly produced edition of Cummings' visual art variously executed in Charcoal, Ink, Oil, Pencil and Watercolor, with a foreword by the author. All reproductions in black and white. Printed in New York by the Stratford Press. Typography by S.A. Jacobs. Reproductions by the Meriden Gravure Company, Connecticut. Richard Kennedy, in his biography of Cummings draws attention to the volume's "distinct autobiographical flavor, the subjects representing [Cummings'] personal world. There are drawings of acrobats, burlesque dancers, Jack Shargel, Chaplin, elephants, Coney Island, a merry-go-round; portraits of Anne, Diana, Werner, Joe Gould; cartoons of Seldes, Thayer, and Watson; and landscapes of the Tuileries, the River Seine, Joy Farm, and Mount Chocorua. He was especially pleased with the way Jacobs had managed to reproduce the watercolors." (Richard S. Kennedy, 'Dreams in the Mirror: A Biography of E. E. Cummings'; Firmage A10). Further details and images for any of the items listed are available on request. Lucius Books welcomes direct contact with our customers.