The book arrived just before we departed, so I was able to peruse it on the plane trip out west and back. Oddly enough, prior to our trip, I checked the online archive for any poem by Dickinson with both the words “bolts” and “melody,” and nothing popped up – so I’ll talk more about that tomorrow.
Today, I thought I’d just show a few pics of the book, and make a few comments.
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- On the page opposite the title page, Bingham lists the titles in their overall project to bring Dickinson’s poems and letters to the public. In 1931, Bingham and her mother updated an 1894 volume of Dickinson’s letters. Then, in 1945 Bingham re-released poems previously published along with the story of “the literary debut of Emily Dickinson” – entitled “Ancestors’ Brocades” – AND in the very same year, she published these 600-plus previously unpublished poems.
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"How should a business celebrate an important anniversary such as its 40th? Ask Jack Campbell, who founded The Personal Book Shop, a tiny room on the basement level at 33 Newbury St.. Boston. Before long the personal service extended to Brookline, Cambridge, and Newton, and by 1956 when the firm went completely out of the retail business, Jack expanding to 21 branches had become a wholesaler with an inventory of more than a million books. He decided to celebrate not with balloons & champagne, not with pen and pencil sets to all customers, not with a gigantic anniversary sale. No, rather by a check for $40 to each employee with Jack paying the additional $10 to the government for taxes."
The link to that article is HERE.
To see what is currently occupying the address of that bookstore in Boston, click HERE.