Scope and Contents

Abstract markings and letter pictures were done by Bob Cobbing. -- Source of annotation: Marvin or Ruth Sackner.

Scope and Contents

William Gass contributes an introduction to the collection titled "Anywhere But Kansas" in which he describes the innovative fiction texts as "exploratory." He states that "explorational fiction records an often painful and disappointing journey, possibly of discovery, possibly of empty sailing: yet never toward what may lie out of sight in the self, since that is what improvisation discloses, but of what lies still unappreciated in the landscape of literature - implications unperceived, conclusions undrawn, directions everyone has failed to follow." -- Source of annotation: Marvin or Ruth Sackner.

Scope and Contents In the prelude to his first novel, Johnson states that he wanted to write a novel that would expose its mechanism. He realized that it would be desirable to have interludes between chapters in which "I could stand back, so to speak, from my novel, and talk about it with the reader, or with those parts of myself which might hold different opinions, if necessary; and in which technical questions could be considered, and quotations from other writers included, where relevant, without any question of destroying the reader's suspension of disbelief, since such suspension was not to be attempted." He adds, "I should be determined not to lead my reader into believing that he was doing anything but reading a novel..."Such interludes are placed between chapters in this book and are marked by poetically designed layouts (the book was designed by Johnson) and liberal use of Italic typeface. The eight interludes comprise the descriptions mentioned in the prelude including among others...

Scope and Contents

The edition consisted of 224 soft cover and 26 hard cover books. -- Source of annotation: Marvin or Ruth Sackner.

Scope and Contents

The edition consisted of 224 soft cover and 26 hard cover books. -- Source of annotation: Marvin or Ruth Sackner.

Scope and Contents

The dust jacket is chipped and torn in several places. However the black cloth cover and the text and images are in fine condition. The prose and poems are printed in back to back reversed sections for each of the two novels. The novel "For Jesus Lunatick" is printed without punctuations in a highly experimental layout including several numbered blank pages. The latter are for numbered illustrations placed in the center section that the reader is requested to cut and paste to the respective page. "Andy "is punctuated and layed out experimentally with some pages concrete poetic in appearance. It, too, has several pages that are numbered and blank with exception of a single number placed at different locations to receive the illustrations from the cutttings in the center section. -- Source of annotation: Marvin or Ruth Sackner.

Scope and Contents

In contrast to the first edition in which the prose and poems were printed in back to back reversed sections for each of the two novels, the printing in this second edition is sequential. The illustrations are printed in their designated positions for "Andy" but the pages are left blank for the novel "For Jesus Lunatick. The book design is not nearly as successful as the first edition that is also held by the Sackner Archive. -- Source of annotation: Marvin or Ruth Sackner.

Scope and Contents

This novel is entirely composed of typewriter poetry/art and its hero is named, Typoo. Earl Conrad (b. 1912 - d. 1986); birth name Cohen, was born and educated in Auburn, New York. He penned at least twenty works of biography, history, and criticism, including books in collaboration. At least one that he 'ghost' wrote, was the biography of actor Errol Flynn, titled "My Wicked, Wicked Ways". Earl Conrad did a great deal of favorable writing about African-Americans in the U.S. even though he was white. A duplicate reading copy is held by the Sackner Archive but the dust jacket is frayed and stained. -- Source of annotation: Marvin or Ruth Sackner.

Scope and Contents

This book includes a visual poem by Alan Halsey that is also reproduced in part on the front cover. -- Source of annotation: Marvin or Ruth Sackner.

Scope and Contents

This first edition book was written between October 1989 and April 1990. The layout and design were by sloy (aka Sandra Loy) and the cover and drawings were by nic (aka Nicholas). -- Source of annotation: Marvin or Ruth Sackner.

Scope and Contents

The author signed and dedicated the book in mirror writing. -- Source of annotation: Marvin or Ruth Sackner.

Scope and Contents

The book consists of a soporific text with the final page depicting swirls of words collaged onto a pillow. -- Source of annotation: Marvin or Ruth Sackner.

Scope and Contents

The book consists of a soporific text with the final page depicting swirls of words collaged onto a pillow. -- Source of annotation: Marvin or Ruth Sackner.

Scope and Contents

The covers are by Derek White. Peters composed the text and made the 20 visual poetic drawings. -- Source of annotation: Marvin or Ruth Sackner.

Scope and Contents

Typography by Jean Vodaine. -- Source of annotation: Marvin or Ruth Sackner.

Scope and Contents

This innovative text and image book is based on "'Flatland" by Edwin Abbott. "Utilizing a wide and historical sweep of represenations of the body, from pedigree charts to genetic sequences, this hybrid imagetext novel recounts how differing ways of imagining the body generate differing stories of knowledge, power, history, gender, politics, art, and of course, the literature of who we are." Marjorie Perloff describes this extraordinary book as a "novel - or is it a film script? collage art work? philosopical meditation?...Tomasula's dissection of post-biological life is about the new interaction of bodies and DNA possibilities." -- Source of annotation: Marvin or Ruth Sackner.