Spirit That Form'd This Scene
Ogdensburg, NY: Caliban Press and Floating World Press, 2010 and 2023. Softcover. One of 40 copies bound in 2023 and signed by the printer, Mark McMurray. This poem by Whitman was inspired by the landscape of Colorado, which he visited in 1879. He described his train journey: "I am on the great Plains of Colorado....We ride and ride all day & it is nothing but plains - but I enjoy it all very much indeed....I have seen mountains just before sunset...I shall never forget it." He stayed in Denver for about four days, making side trips to various sites including the Platt River Canyon, after which he composed "Spirit." He was awestruck by the red Colorado sandstone that let him to compare his own poetry to the poetry of the landscape around him. The poem first appeared in the 1881 (7th) edition of Leaves of Grass [From the prospectus].
Printed in 2010 from 18-point Bodoni bold foundry type on machine made sage gray papers folded accordion style. Landscape images are made with torn paper strips in cream, red, blue, and black to form images of the topography of mountain ranges, with the poem's text printed below. Papers from La Papeterie St-Armand, Montreal. Bound in orange paper covers with marbled paper ornament affixed to the cover. Housed in a gray slipcase with multi-color dots and title label to cover. Accompanied by a sheet of paper describing Whitman's journey to Colorado and the printing details. In fine condition. Measures 5.5 x 6.25 inches, unfolds to 48 inches. Unpaginated [About 6 pages] PRI/050924. Fine.
Item #37262
Price: $250.00