Details
POUND, EZRA. A Lume Spento. [Venice: Published by A. Antonini...In the City of Aldus 1908]. 8vo, contemporary navy blue vertically-ribbed cloth, "A Lume Spento" gilt-stamped in center of front cover in lettering similar to (but not identical with) the type face of the title-page, the leaves trimmed and measuring 19.1 x 12.7 cm. (7 9/16 x 5 1/16in.), the original wrappers not preserved, wear at heel of spine, slight wear at top of spine and fore-corners; half morocco slipcase. FIRST EDITION OF THE AUTHOR'S FIRST BOOK AND OF GREAT RARITY, one of 150 copies printed for Pound, with the usual handwritten corrections by the author on the dedication page and page 24. Gallup A1; Thomas A. Goldwasser, "Ezra Pound's A Lume Spento: A Preliminary Census" in The Papers of the Bibliographical Society of America, 83:I, March 1989, pp. 17-42, locating 33 copies of the book, this one designated "Copy T," and terming A Lume Spento "one of the rarest and most desirable books of modern poetry."
Provenance (quoted from Goldwasser, p. 34): "[This copy] inscribed in pale ink on the title page 'M.A.D./'08/Venice.' This must be the M.A. Derby of whom Pound wrote his mother from London in January 1909, 'if my room is big enough...you might invite the Babschen (alias Miss Derby...Richmond Va.) to visit for a week if she comes up.' Found by a New England book scout at a church rummage sale, sold by the scout to a Connecticut bookseller who sold it to Robert Wilson of the Phoenix Book Shop, New York. Listed in...[his] catalogue 113 in September 1973...purchased by the collector and publisher William Targ of New York. Targ eventually sold the copy to John F. Fleming, the New York bookseller, from whom it was acquired by its present owner in June 1976."
Provenance (quoted from Goldwasser, p. 34): "[This copy] inscribed in pale ink on the title page 'M.A.D./'08/Venice.' This must be the M.A. Derby of whom Pound wrote his mother from London in January 1909, 'if my room is big enough...you might invite the Babschen (alias Miss Derby...Richmond Va.) to visit for a week if she comes up.' Found by a New England book scout at a church rummage sale, sold by the scout to a Connecticut bookseller who sold it to Robert Wilson of the Phoenix Book Shop, New York. Listed in...[his] catalogue 113 in September 1973...purchased by the collector and publisher William Targ of New York. Targ eventually sold the copy to John F. Fleming, the New York bookseller, from whom it was acquired by its present owner in June 1976."