BABEL - INSCRIBED TO TOM VERLAINE
New York: G.P. Putnam's Sons, 1978. First Edition. Item #7655
First Printing, cloth issue. Octavo (23.5cm); full black cloth, with titles stamped in gilt on spine and in blind to front cover; dustjacket; [12],13-202,[6]pp; illus. Inscribed by the author in a contemporary hand on the half-title page to Tom Verlaine: "To the father of my son (next to a small drawing captioned "gee pop") / and a nordic angel (hung) / from his old pals (pal) / part time guardian / most time slut / XX / Patti." Fine in a very Near Fine dustjacket, unclipped (priced $8.95), with some pinpoint wear to corners, and a handful of tiny spots to front panel.
An early book of the National Book Award-winning author's poems, prose, lyrics, and drawings, issued simultaneously in cloth and wrappers. Inscribed to the late Tom Verlaine (1949-2023), American singer, frontman for the New York City band Television, and Smith's former boyfriend. They met in 1973, and found shared interests in composers, poetry, and the bustle of New York City life. "Verlaine and Smith dated in the mid-1970s and collaborated together over the years, with the Television guitarist contributing to Smiths album Horses, Gung Ho, Gone Again, and Easter. The two stayed close friends long after they broke up, with Smith noting in her New Yorker essay that "having no children, [Verlaine] welcomed the love he received from [Smith's] daughter Jesse, and [her] son, Jackson"" (Corcoran, Nina. "Patti Smith Shares Eulogy for Tom Verlaine: "Had I Been a Boy, I Would've Been Him." Pitchfork. January 31, 2023). An early, intimate inscription in a key title. We've handled many Smith associations, but none that are evidence of a 50-year friendship. 7655.
Price: $15,000.00