![CRANE, Hart (1899-1932). White Buildings. [New York:] Boni & Liveright, 1926.](https://www.christies.com/img/LotImages/2002/NYR/2002_NYR_01098_0055_000(050419).jpg?w=1)
Details
CRANE, Hart (1899-1932). White Buildings. [New York:] Boni & Liveright, 1926.
8o. Original quarter blue cloth, boards covered with black-and-beige textured paper; blue printed dust jacket. Provenance: James Laughlin (1914-1997), poet and publisher, founder of New Directions press (bookplate).
FIRST EDITION, THE VERY SCARCE FIRST ISSUE, with the misspelling "Allan Tate" on title-page. The entire first printing consisted of 500 copies; 50 were sent out to reviewers. These 50 comprise the first issue, with Allen Tate's name misspelled. For the balance of the run, the title-page was reset and inserted.
"THE POETRY OF HART CRANE IS AMBITIOUS" (Allen Tate, Foreword). Crane's first book did not easily reach publication. After some consideration, it was rejected by Samuel Jacobs of the Golden Eagle Press, the firm responsible for E.E. Cummings' Tulips and Chimneys. Waldo Frank assisted Crane's further search, finally engaging Boni & Liveright under the condition that Eugene O'Neill write a foreword. O'Neill initially agreed, but several months later he changed his mind. Allen Tate, a friend of all concerned, offered to write the foreword under O'Neill's name. Eventually, it appeared under Tate's own name, with a blurb by O'Neill on the dust jacket. Schwarz and Schweik A1. AN IMPORTANT LITERARY ASSOCIATION COPY, OWNED BY JAMES LAUGHLIN, FOUNDER OF NEW DIRECTIONS PRESS.
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FIRST EDITION, THE VERY SCARCE FIRST ISSUE, with the misspelling "Allan Tate" on title-page. The entire first printing consisted of 500 copies; 50 were sent out to reviewers. These 50 comprise the first issue, with Allen Tate's name misspelled. For the balance of the run, the title-page was reset and inserted.
"THE POETRY OF HART CRANE IS AMBITIOUS" (Allen Tate, Foreword). Crane's first book did not easily reach publication. After some consideration, it was rejected by Samuel Jacobs of the Golden Eagle Press, the firm responsible for E.E. Cummings' Tulips and Chimneys. Waldo Frank assisted Crane's further search, finally engaging Boni & Liveright under the condition that Eugene O'Neill write a foreword. O'Neill initially agreed, but several months later he changed his mind. Allen Tate, a friend of all concerned, offered to write the foreword under O'Neill's name. Eventually, it appeared under Tate's own name, with a blurb by O'Neill on the dust jacket. Schwarz and Schweik A1. AN IMPORTANT LITERARY ASSOCIATION COPY, OWNED BY JAMES LAUGHLIN, FOUNDER OF NEW DIRECTIONS PRESS.