Bits of Blue

Chicago: Charles H. Kerr and Company, 1893. First Edition. 12mo (18.5cm.); publisher's white gilt-lettered cloth; [103]pp. Cloth a bit soiled, especially at spine, with a few shallow surface scratches, corners gently bumped, else Very Good, internally fine. Quite scarce collection of poems by a near-unknown poet. Despite the imprint the poems are inspired mostly by nature and Greek mythology rather than socialist politics. We find one contemporary review, whose critic rightly strips the work of any literary merit, stating that "Much of his work shows no idea of the meaning of words," providing as evidence the following line: "A dreamer fair and bland!" (San Francisco Chronicle, August 13, 1893).