MACLEISH, Archibald

Land of the Free

New York: Harcourt, Brace, 1938. First Edition. Small quarto (23cm). Tan cloth boards, lettered blue; 93pp; illus. dustjacket. Review copy, with review stamp on front endpaper. Bernarda Bryson Shahn's copy, with her signature on front endpaper and ink note above publisher's stamp: "Please Return to Bernarda B. Shahn." A worn copy; covers soiled and toned, with split to cloth at spine; contents a little shaken; Good.

Macleish's book-length poem, illustrated with 88 photographs by FSA photographers, is among the high points of Depression-era photobooks. 88 leaves of plates, each with accompanying text by MacLeish on facing page. Of the 88 photographs, there are four by Shahn; the majority are by Dorothea Lange. One assumes that the Shahns were on the distribution list for advance copies by virtue of Ben's association with the project; whether they in fact penned a review of the bookis unknown. In any case, a notable association copy. PARR/BADGER, v.1, p.180.

Price: $500.00

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