Roma: [Arnold Weinstein], 1960. 25 leaves, printed recto only. 8vo. Side-stapled in printed wraps. Soiling to wraps; front cover with some damp-rippling, a spot of water discoloration at base, and some half-legible pen notes in an unknown hand; textblock toned, with a few spots of internal soiling. Good to very good. Self-published book of poems--his first, as far as we can determine--by American poet, playwright, and librettist Arnold Weinstein (1927-2005). A master of "useless languages," Weinstein was a Rhodes Scholar and Fulbright recipient (twice), taught wildly popular courses at Yale and Columbia, and was a colorful long-time resident of the Chelsea Hotel. He counted among his friends and collaborators the filmmaker Robert Altman (who directed Weinstein's opera McTeague in 1992, and whose film A Wedding Weinstein adapted into a 2004 opera), John Ashbery, Chet Baker, William Bolcom (who composed the music for three of Weinstein's operas), Philip Glass, Frank O'Hara (with whom Weinstein collaborated on a musical comedy, Undercover Lover), Arthur Miller, Larry Rivers (whose autobiography he co-authored), etc. Scarce; OCLC locates only three institutional holdings: NYU, the Library of Congress, and the University of Michigan, who hold the Arnold Weinstein papers. Though unstated, this copy from the library of New York School poet, librettist, and publisher Kenward Elmslie (1929-2022).
