A Book of the Book: Some Works and Projections about the Book & Writing

Jerome Rothenberg is a tireless (and often brilliant) anthologist of all things literary and poetic. His 2-volume "Poems for the Millennium" is an astonishing collection, and his revelatory "Technicians of the Sacred" should be in the library of anyone interested in the connections of modern literature and world culture. "A Book of the Book," edited with Steven Clay, assembles a fascinating collection of articles about books and writing, ranging from Keith Smith's "The Book as Physical Object" to Jacques Derrida. Then he goes on to explore experimental works that exploded the notion of writing and the book, from Gertrude Stein to F.T. Marinetti, from Blaise Cendrars & Sonia Delauney's "Trans-Siberian" (included in full-color facsimile) to Max Ernst's collaged "novel" and Marcel Duchamp's "Boite-en-valise." From theorists like Roland Barthes to "artists' books" by Tom Phillips, Dieter Roth, Alison Knowles and many others, this anthology presents the book as both thing and idea. This anthology will be of interest to writers and artists alike.