Recitative: Prose.

San Francisco, CA North Point Press, 1986. Paperback First Edition Thus [1986]; unstated. First Edition Thus [1986]; unstated. Very Good+ in Wraps: binding square and secure; text clean. Shows a tiny dot at bottom edge [NOT a remainder mark, but a local bookseller's method of distinguishing used books from the new stock]; faint smudges at outside edges; backstrip very lightly sunned, though titles thereon remain bright and legibility remains unimpaired; mild rubbing; binding square and secure; text clean. Remains a handsome copy. NOT a Remainder, Book-Club, or Ex-Library. 8vo. 202pp. Edited by J.D. McClatchy. Trade Paperback. Though Merrill sees prose as "a mildly nightmarish medium, to which there is no end ," Recitative reminds us that this poet can nevertheless write appealing prose on a wide range of subjects. The selections, spanning 40 years, are collected under four topics. "Writing" includes autobiographical essays and interviews conducted by David Kalstone, Donald Sheehan, and Ashley Brown, among others. "Writers" includes Merrill's views of Dante, informed by the experience of producing his own epic - the Sandover trilogyand Elizabeth Bishop - whose humanity he admires. "Occasions" includes several unusual smaller piecesfor instance, an essay on Corot. The volume ends with three short stories not readily available.