Sweethearts 1st Edition

Emmett Williams’ epic concrete poem, a landmark of the genre, employing the letters of the word ‘Sweethearts’ in multiform variations, utilising for instance the ‘he’ and ‘she’ to erotic effect; Williams also emphasises the potential for the text to be employed as a flip-book; Peter Frank describes the operation of the poem in ‘Something Else Press An Annotated Bibliography’ – “the letters maintain their original spacing in every word on each page, as if each page is occupied by a vertical row of repeated sweethearts from which certain letters are blocked out……the book is organized back to front, like a text in a Semitic language”; being the 1st cloth edition (not stated) of which 609 copies were printed (Frank); copyright page shows 1967, but Frank’s definitive bibliography states (as do other online bibliographies) 1968 as publication year; includes the original dustwrapper with Duchamp’s Coeurs Volants to front; blue cloth boards with red titling to spine, all edges of text block with blue stain, red endpapers; mild toning to prelims and endpapers, o.w. Very Good throughout; boards lightly spotted; dustwrapper unclipped with original price of $5.95 to flap – lightly edgeworn and rubbed, o.w. Very Good.