JIMMY'S BLUES : Selected Poems

New York: St. Martin's Press, 1986. First printing. Fine in near fine or better jacket.. First US edition containing two additional poems not in the 1983 British first edition. Though Baldwin wrote poetry all his life, JIMMY'S BLUES was his first published collection. In her introduction to a later edition, Nikky Finney writes: "From the beginning of his life to the very end, I believe Baldwin saw himself more poet than anything else: The way he cared about language. The way he believed language should work." His poems document the "wonderings of a curious heart devoted to exposing tyranny, love, and the perpetual historical lies of the Republic" (Finney). 8.25'' x 5.5''. Original black paper boards, spine lettered in silver. In original unclipped ($11.95) glossy color photographic dust jacket designed by Andy Carpenter, photo portrait of Baldwin by Max Petrus to rear panel. [2], 75, [1] pages. Trace toning to jacket. Else sharp, clean, and tight overall.