A Saga of a Paper Mill

Caldwell, Idaho: Caxton Printers, 1935. Hardcover. Very Good. Signed by Author(s). Inscribed by Pratt on ffep. Light blue cloth with paper title blocks on spine and front cover. Some fading around edges of cloth. 77 pages. 7.5 x 5 inches. Inscribed ''To My Boss - / With admiration / and trepidation. / Laurence Pratt''. Laurence Pratt's first published collection of poetry. Approximately forty sonnets on the subject of work in a paper mill, touching on everything from the machinery itself, to the sourcing of the lumber pulp, the production processes, and the characters employed. These poems are based on his experiences during four years of employment with the Crown-Willamette Paper Company. The collection is rounded out with an additional twenty sonnets written about various persons or types of people, peppered with social critique, with a bit of acid thrown at bankers, capitalists, moralists, and hypocrites. Laurence Dowrick Pratt (1888-1985) was a Portland teacher, poet, and a prominent figure in the city's literary scene (including a stint as president of the Northwest Poetry society). He earned his degrees at Reed College ('18) and the University of Washington ('27). He taught at Pacific University for five years and then taught at Jefferson High School (1929-1950) and Lake Oswego High School (1951-1954).