Arts and Sciences Unknown - 1986

107 pages. Octavo (8 3/4" x 6") bound in original publisher's pictorial wrappers. First edition. Goldbarth's discursive poems juxtapose personal incident, scientific fact, cultural history, and metaphysical speculation. Because his intelligence is wide-ranging, they are never less than interesting. When Goldbarth can fuse fact and speculation with feelingas in ``Knees/Dura-Europos,'' a powerful though poorly titled meditation on the role of suffering given greater resonance by the historical contexthis poems succeed. When they fail, as does ``Problem Solving,'' it is because the emotional center of the poem (in this case, feelings about the birth of a child) becomes lost among the ideas and associations brought to bear on it. Luckily, Goldbarth succeeds more often than not, making this a notable addition to his rapidly expanding body of work. Condition: Light edge wear else better than very good.

Princeton, NJ: Ontario Review Press, 1986. First edition. Softcover. First printing. 107 pages. A collection of poems. A clean and tight near fine copy in wrappers.

Princeton, NJ: Ontario Review, 1986. Paperback. Book: Good. 8vo.. 107 pp. 6 x 9. Black wraps. Pencil marginalia.