Tuesday, August 25, 2009

chapbooks 36

Ernest Hemingway : A Critical Essay
Nathan Scott, Jr.
William B Eerdmans /Publishers
Grand Rapids, Michigan
©1966

46 page tract looking into the Christian values and views expressed in the works of Hemingway. You know, I have never thought of Ernest Hemingway as a redeemable Christian, nor a role model in any sense of the word. Aren’t Christians against suicide?

A tree was felled for this booklet, what a waste of a tree!


Big Game Animals
Bill Stevens
Federal Cartridge Corporation
Minneapolis, Minnesota
©1971

23 page color booklet of animals that can be killed by hunters. Oh Boy!! What fun!! The publisher is also a company that makes bullets that, um, kill the animals listed in the booklet. A tree was cut down for this? Horrible.

Speaking of horrible……

Smallum opus of edwin schur
ninth street press
new york, NY
©2005

Edwin Schur is an emeritus professor of Sociology at NYU. He is the author of several nonfiction books. He began to write “poetry” at the age of 67. He frequented the West Chester University Poetry Conference. His “poetry” is primarily epigrams. He mentions the work of J V Cunningham, whom I am familiar with as I have a small collection of Cunningham’s books.

This 21 page self published chapbook is a dread to look at and the truth is I am not a fan of epigrams. These are not particularly good epigrams. It looks like a Xerox special. More trees died to fluff this author’s ego. A shame, really.


Manhattan Poetry Review #6
Winter-Spring 1985-86
Manhattan Poetry Review
New York, NY
© 1986

67 pages. Staple-bound. Grey cover. Featuring established poets as well as a 30 page section of new poets. What I find fascinating is the range of poets within as well as the fact that none of the “new poets” are ones that, 23 years later, I have ever heard of. Those I have; David Ignatow,
Diane Wakoski, Duane Locke – their work is mostly very good. There are some interesting typos throughout and a few missing bios in the back of the book but as a timepiece, this collection is quite worthwhile.

Thursday, August 13, 2009

chapbooks 35



Up to now I have kept myself within the "adult" parameters of chapbook offerings, but I found this cool 1968 Golden Book which is within the chapbook ideal so I wanted to acknowledge it.

The Cowboy Book
Mel Crawford
Golden Press
New York, New York
(c) 1968

Unnumbered pages, color images throughout. Okay, it's the shape that got me. It's very cool and I am sure that kids loved it when it came out. There isn't a "story" here but it's an early reader so having a story is less important than reading the words. Really interesting all the same!

Brats
X. J. Kennedy
Illustrations by James Watts
The Trumpet Club
New York, New York
(c)1991

A collection of poems for young readers, with illustrations by James Watts. 42 pages. Staple-bound.

Aleutian Islands: The U.S. Army Campaigns of World War II
George L MacGarrigle
U.S Government Printing Office
Washington, DC
(c)1992

26 page history of the US assault on the Aleutian Islands during WW II to drive out the Japanese is here presented with color maps and B&W photos. Great for World War II buffs.

Thursday, August 06, 2009

need chapbooks to review

need new material - shucks I have written about so many already, my supply has been diminished! (or I could simply venture out into the cruel world of second hand stores in hope for the best)

sigh


s - a - m

Wednesday, August 05, 2009

chapbooks 34



the fishes of Nebraska
Jerry & Larry Morris and Larry Witt
Lou Ell : Photographer
Nebraska Game and Parks Commission
Lincoln, NE
(c) 1972

98 page staple-bound "chapbook" detailed listing of the fish that live in the watershed of the state of Nebraska. Color photos throughout of more fish than I had previously conceived possible for a state to have - never really thought about it. Then again I am not a fisherman

For those who are anglers, this is a great book.


Poems to Julia
Ilya Shambat
Shadow Ink Publications
Excelsior Springs, Missouri
(c) 2003

36 page chapbook. I Googled the Press; not terribly impressed with their operation. That's beside the point. Or perhaps that's exactly the point. No editorial control. How is this not a vanity press? I don't know. There are multiple chapbooks by a handful of people here. Friend of the publishers? One can draw their own conclusions.

This book feels like a xeroxed product. A tree was wasted making this chapbook. Beware what lurks in the "Shadow Ink".