... Over the weekend, I stopped by Brattle Book Store of West Street in Boston (by far the best second-hand bookstore in the city). Eventually I made my way upstairs to the second floor where I came upon a small stack of marked-down, first printings. A quick glance led me to this book (below) resting snuggly shoulder to shoulder between Ezra Pound and more Ezra Pound. I've only recently become interested in E. E. Cummings because of a discovery I made last fall which is that his birthplace and childhood home is only a few blocks from where I'm living now. In truth, I've read very little by him but I hope to change that starting with this purchase. The book alone was a nice find, but what made it remarkable were the two old holiday cards tucked together between the pages, each signed, "Cummings & Marion". It definitely wasn't Cummings' signature, but with a little research once I was home, I learned that his third wife was Marion Morehouse, the famous model and photographer, and both, apparently, were acquaintances of the book's previous owner. It now resides with my friend Anis Mojgani. Check out the cards below...
(The photo of Cummings on the dust jacket was taken by Marion.)
