SATURDAY NIGHTS IN MARIETTA

[Minneapolis, Minnesota]: Minnesota Center for Book Arts, 1999. No. 102 OF 125 COPIES. 165 x 238 mm. (6 1/2 x 9 1/2"). [9] leaves.
Publisher's cornflower blue textured paper boards, front cover with inlaid square of a lighter blue and gilt-stamped title, patterned cloth joints, two metal bolts. In original matching wood and cloth clamshell box (light scuffing to edges). WITH 15 ORIGINAL ARTWORKS BY Bonnie Thompson Norman, Steve Miller, David Moyer, Ruth Lingen, Collen Dwire, Jack Molloy, Karla Elling, Beth Grabowski, James Horton, Elsi Vassdal Ellis, Audrey Niffenegger, Eric Bealer, Deborah Mae Broad, Joe Sanders, and Caren Heft. SIGNED BY THE AUTHOR on the limitation page. Artist's statements by Steve Miller and Beth Grabowski laid in facing their illustrations. As new.

This beautifully printed and handsomely presented book is an extremely pleasing fusion of word and image, containing poetry by Minnesota native Robert Bly accompanied by works of art on paper made expressly for this edition. According to the colophon here, this "collection of fifteen poems provides the conceptual basis for a collaborative collation of visual interpretations by fifteen innovative book artists and printmakers." The artwork is extremely varied, from moody woodcuts to experimental typography, and represents a range of talents brought together by a single poetic voice. The Minnesota Center for Book Arts is a premiere space for bibliophilic workshops, exhibitions, fellowships, and creative pursuits. Founded in 1983, it has a history of educating students, supporting established artists, and producing excellent work. Robert Bly (1926-2021) was an award-winning poet, translator, activist, and early advocate for the men's movement. The Poetry Foundations tells us that his "poetry was often categorized as part of the Deep Image school of writing, in which the poet employs a system of private imagery; however, Bly’s wish was not to create a personal mythology, but rather to describe modern American life through powerful metaphors and intense imagery." Bly's 1968 collection "The Light Around the Body" won a National Book Award, but he is perhaps best known for his exploration of modern masculinity in the controversial work "Iron John: A Book About Men.".