William Carlos WilliamsSpring and All (New Directions Pearls)

SPRING AND ALL was first published in France in 1923 in an edition of 300 copies. Years later Wallace reflected on its nonchalant, playful debut: "Nobody ever saw it -- it had no circulation at all -- but I had a bit of fun with it ... Chapter headings are printed upside down on purpose, the chapters are numbered all out of order, sometimes with Roman numerals, sometimes with Arabic, anything that came in handy." ( I Wanted to Write a Poem , pp. 36-37).If you covet a one of those first edition copies, in fine condition, be prepared to shell out a thousand dollars or more.The book's contents have reappeared in subsequent Williams compendiums, but for those of you with a book collector's sensibility, and for poetry readers who seek transport back to an earlier cultural era via the objects of that era (test: were you wide-eyed drinking in the set designs in Woody Allen's "Midnight in Paris"?), this facsimile edition is the next best thing to holding the original.In the decades since its original publication there's been no shortage of sophisticated critical analysis of the meaning and significance of SPRING AND ALL. My amateur thoughts include a belief that the book's once unorthodox mixture of prose and poetry sections has less power to bother readers of today. In the prose sections I grew to appreciate the gaps, the churn, the elisions, the introduction and abandonment of thoughts: we are witnessing a mind doing its work. When Williams delivers fully formed thoughts his breathing is apparent: I heard not the nervous, arhythmic and shallow breaths of today but the inhalations and exhalations of an earlier America, deep and full and sufficient to the ideas whose communication they carry.I happen to like his use of commas.There are stretches that have a dated feel (remember, the freshest cataclysm infecting Williams' world view was The Great War) and some of his affections are now obscure (how many know who Dora Marsden was; or Alfred Kreymborg, whose writing Williams declares "still has value and will tomorrow have more"?). But hail the author's ready audacity, as when he draws a broad conclusion about modern art trends by looking at a reproduction of a single painting by Juan Gris -- and that reproduction not in color but in black and white! Especially in its epigrammatic statements on art and life, there is an affinity between SPRING AND ALL and Robert Henri's  The Art Spirit .You reach page 74, Chapter XXII. You pause. It's as if you've been meandering down a museum's long corridor of displays of things interesting and things not so interesting and then you're directed into an intimate side-room and brought face to face with a solitary object that hits you, your eye, your mind, with unexpected force: a sixteen-word poem about a red wheel barrow whose haiku economy proceeds to gestate in your presence.To speak of the book itself, as physical object: it is sure to please. More meaty than the proverbial slim volume of poetry (it's over 100 pages), this facsimile is finely constructed with clearly printed text on cream paper, wrapped in powder blue-gray covers that have a mysterious, sensuous, suede-like feel.Williams writes: "The better work men do is always done under stress and at great personal cost."Let this better work be your pleasure.

In my opinion this is the best place to start with Williams. His poems, as well as his theory fragmented onto every page, are fascinating and one will constantly refer back to the book - as it has that effect on the reader. The facsimile format is great as well, and while some texts are not perfectly parallel to the edges of the page, this is a minor complaint. I would rather have the facsimile edition with minor visual errors than have this book crammed into a volume of collected poems.Any person serious about wanting to learn poetry (all of its corners and alleys), should buy this book and add it to their collection. It will provide you with a better understanding of art and modernism.

I chose this 5 star rating because Sring and All is William Carlos Williams' masterpiece. Without Spring and All there would be no Beat movement. William Carlos Williams even wrote the Intrduction to original publication of Ginsberg's Howl. Spring and All was the catalyst for the Beat writers. It's genius. It was the steppingstone into an entirely new kind of writing where rhyme, meter etc didn't matter. It was a book without boundaries that explored new ways of writing and celebrated artistic freedom by doing it. I always keep a copy of this brilliant book near me at all times when I'm home so that any time I might be feeling uninspired I just pick up Spring and All and receive a rejuvenating shot of life and inspiration and creativity. I will be reading from this amazing book for the rest of my life.

A difficult read, but taken in historical context, and peppered with truly beautiful and thoughtful poetry and prose, it's an undeniable masterpiece. Four stars really just because I'm too much of a literary plebe to appreciate it like I should.

A challenging read, but I like a challenge

considered one of the 100 most important works of fiction in the 20th century. good quality and arrived on time

It's William Carlos Williams, I mean, what else can you expect? It's a nice book to keep in your collection.

A must read for Williams fans

Some of the prose comes across as nonsensical, but there are gems which can be picked out. There is some excellent poetry and some not.

The enjambent of the poetry forced consideration and was appreciated as it allowed for more depth of understanding/feeling. The lit crit perfectly captures the modernist movement.

The paperback version does not include the illuminating essay that prefaces the Kindle version used on the Look Inside feature.

A lovely facsimile of the original edition of Dr Williams' groundbreaking collection of poetry and prose. Takes us back to the modernist period of its emergence.

Five stars!