SPECIAL ORDERS

New York City, NY: Alfred A. Knopf, 2008. First Edition. First Printing.. Hardcover. Fine/Fine Dust Jacket.. New York City, NY: Alfred A. Knopf, 2008. Hardcover. Fine/Fine. First Edition/First Printing. 70 pages. The author's seventh collection of poems. One of Edward Hirsch's finest collections. The First Hardcover Edition. Precedes and should not be confused with all other subsequent editions. Published in a small and limited first print run as a hardcover original only. The First Edition is now scarce. Presents Edward Hirsch's "Special Orders". Brings its demotic, heartfelt, autobiographical pieces together to form a picture of Hirsch's whole life, with sadness always visible, but joy in the foreground. "Many will be moved by the frankness and vulnerability of these difficult self-assessments. One might expect that the more adept and practiced the poet, the more intricate and elaborate the poems. Yet the opposite often occurs as the poet seeks the essence of the matter at hand. Continues to inlay his radiant poems with intriguing literary, mythological, and historical allusions. Yet he never fails to be clear and emotionally present, and in these masterfully distilled poems, he achieves even greater degrees of immediacy and intimacy. Hirsch trusts language's power to illuminate and heal, and his achingly beautiful poems do nothing less" (Booklist). "I'm now more than halfway to the grave / but I'm not half the man I meant to become" (Edward Hirsch). An absolute "must-have" title for Edward Hirsch collectors. This copy is very prominently and beautifully signed in black ink-pen on the title page by Edward Hirsch. It is signed directly on the page itself, not on a tipped-in page. This title is a contemporary classic. This is one of few such signed copies of the First Hardcover Edition/First Printing still available online and is in especially fine condition: Clean, crisp, and bright. Please note: Copies available online have serious flaws, are subsequent printings, or are remainder-marked. This is surely an accessible and lovely alternative. A rare signed copy thus. "Earthly Measures" is regarded by Harold Bloom as one of the canonical works of the 20th century. One of the greatest poets of our time. A fine copy. (SEE ALSO OTHER EDWARD HIRSCH TITLES IN OUR CATALOG). ISBN 0307266818.