Tuesday, June 28, 2011

Michael Dirda's column

Dirda's Reading Room. My wife sent me a link to this column since Michael Dirda has stated pretty much my exact sentiments on the subject of "e-readers" in the piece. His phrase is "Screens are, by their nature, ephemeral, transient, insubstantial". I would add "impermanent" to the phrase as well. Unlike an actual book - there is still the problem of batteries and charging. Besides, since because a gadget exist does not mean that it's place in our society is guaranteed or known. Time, and not pundits, will tell.

Thursday, June 9, 2011

Paul Foreman & Thorp Springs Press (more!)

I first wrote about Paul Foreman and Thorp Springs Press in August 2010 when I had first came across the Press and started to collect some books published by TS. Since then I contacted the University of Texas which has collected material by the Press in their special collections department. The University was not interested in acquiring anything else by Thorp Springs even though I thought the association copies I had were valuable. Well, they are to someone I am certain.

I contacted Len Fulton and that conversation led nowhere. Then I happened across a copy of The Grassman on Paperbackbookswap.com - a signed copy - Len Fulton's novel - signed by Len - printer's error copy (one of the chapters is upside down)



Then in January 2011, I noticed that someone had made a comment on my August 2010 posting about Foreman and TS Press, and it was from Paul Foreman himself! I didn't read the message till well after it was posted and the mailing address for Foreman in Texas seems to have been a dead end. Paul, if you are out there still - I did write you!

A few weeks ago I bid on a lot of anthologies on ebay pertaining to California poets. I didn't notice in the description that one of the anthologies was The San Francisco Bark which was published by - you guessed it - Thorp Springs Press in April 1972 while the Press was still located in Berkeley, CA. It contains poems by Josephine Miles, Arthur Sze, Paul Foreman himself, Margaret Cesa, and a number of poets who I have never heard of.



So, now I have FIVE books published by Thorp Springs Press. My collection rivals the University of Texas!