cummings, e. e. i: Six Nonlectures. Cambridge, Mass.: Harvard University Press, 1953.
8vo. Publisher's black cloth, spine lettered in white; in the original dust wrapper (not price-clipped); pp, [viii], 118; loosely inserted Marion Morehouse photograph of cummings; light chipping to edges of wrapper, with a 14mm vertical tear to lower edge of front panel and a 30mm vertical tear to lower hinge of spine; discolouration to ffep due to offsetting from loosely inserted photograph; a little toning to upper and outer edges; internally bright and clean, a very good copy together with Morehouse's portrait of cummings.
First trade edition, rare with the loosely inserted photograph. Comprising the text of six Charles Eliot Norton "nonlectures" which cummings gave at Harvard University during the academic year 1952/1953, notable for their informal style and their insight into cummings's thoughts on poetry, art, and his own life and work. A key theme explored within his lectures is that of the importance of individuality and the rejection of convention in both art and broader life, with cummings often championing the need for poets to remain true to their own voices. Offering a blend of autobiography, artistic manifesto, and poetic insight, this text is a valuable resource for understanding the life, work, and philosophy of one of one of the most original voices of the twentieth century poetry scene.
Marion Morehouse, cummings's third wife, was a renowned model, appearing in Vogue and Vanity Fair, working with fashion photographers such as Edward Steichen and Cecil Beaton. Subsequent to her modelling career, she transitioned to photography, mentored by Steichen, and set up her own studio in New York. The loosely inserted photograph of cummings, which is reprinted on the lower panel of the dust jacket, is a part of a series of portraits she took of her husband.
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