Renascence A Poem
New York: 1924, March. 73 of appx. 126 (some say 180-186) copies printed and signed with the initials of the printer. Paperback. Tall narrow sewn wraps (4.25" x 9*.25") 8vo, original plain pale blue wrappers, sewn as issued, uncut. 11 pp + colophon + rear free endpaper. VG+, some age-toning to covers. Item #175793
This is the first separate edition of this poem, originally printed and included in a larger volume in 1917. Noteworthy in that is was printed by Frederic W. and Bertha Goudy on the handpress on which William Morris printed the Kelmscott Chaucer, during an exhibition of the Kelmscott Press at The Anderson Galleries in New York in March 1924; initialed and numbered by Frederic W. Goudy on the colophon. Copyrighted by Mitchell Kennerley (president of The Anderson Galleries). IN a letter to Edward A. Newton found in another copy sold in 1988, Kennerly states to Newton "I am sending you what is already a very rare little book. After printing one hundred and twenty-six copies, Goudy was taken ill and had to give up. We had orders for several hundred copies, which we cannot fill. I think you know that I have always regarded Edna St. Vincent Millay as the greatest lyric poet American has ever produced, and a first edition of Renascence [published by Kennerley in 1917] has already sold as high as one hundred and thirty-five dollars, and this little edition is much rarer!" Yost 22: "According to Mr. Goudy, 'maybe 180 or 185 in all' were printed"; Merle Johnson, p. 364: "100 copies only."
Price: $600.00