“You are all a lost generation”
—Gertrude Stein to Ernest Hemingway

In the 1920’s a group of young writers and artists met while living in Paris. It was the Jazz age and Paris was the cultural center of Europe. The young moderns congregated around the bookstores and Cafes, collectively they became known as ” The Lost Generation”. This group which included Ernst Hemingway and other expats such Harry Crosby, spearheaded a new literary movement while living in Paris. They universally rejected the moral and social values of the past generation, in favor of a new modern and bohemian lifestyle. Parisian culture, combined with the disillusionment caused by the loss of life in World War One, led to some of the most important writing of the new century.

Harry Crosby was born into Boston’s Social elite,it was not unusual for some one of his class to spend time living abroad. Harry being one of the few members of the lost generation to speak fluent French, he easily adapted to a life in Paris. While living and writing in Paris Harry Crosby founded The Black Sun Press, one of the finest small preses of the twentieth century.

With the help of his wife Caresse The Black Sun Press published Hemingway, Joyce, Ezra Pound, Hart Crane, Kay Boyle, D. H. Lawrence, Dorothy Parker and others. Harry Crosby epitomised the jazz age, a playboy living his life with reckless abandon. Once he hired 4 horse drawn carriages, and raced them through the streets of Paris like Ben Hur! Known for his wild parties, and numerous affairs, he was both loved and despised. In 1929 while briefly back in New York he attended a party hosted by his close friend Hart Crane. In attendance were E. E.Cummings, William Carlos Williams, Walker Evans and many other artists of day, It was the last time Harry would be seen alive.

Crosby had been caring on an affair with a young newly married woman named Josephine Bigelow. He refers to her in his poetry as his fire princess. Soon after Crane’s party both Harry and Josephine were found dead, a tragic double suicide that made the headlines in the day. Harry’s collected work was published in four seperate volumes on black sun Press, we offer two of the four volumes for sale.

…With Love
(As she goes to the Sun
And is seen by the world no more)
-Harry Crosby

Description: Paperbound with glassine dust wrapper. Preface by T. S. Eliot. Volume 2 in the collected poetry of Harry Crosby. Printed on nauarre paper in a limited editon of 500 copies by Carosse Crosby at the Black Sun Press, Paris. The glassine dust jacket shows tanning and chipping. Spine edges chipped and back strip cracked. (not binding) Interior clean and binding still tight. VERY RARE

Bookseller Inventory # 17048

SOLD

Transit of Venus
Crosby, Harry

Though we hear various reports of his existence we can never find the young wizard who is able so they say to graft the soul of a girl to the soul of her lover so that not even the sharp scissors of the Fates can ever sever them apart.
-Harry Crosby

Description: Paperbound with glassine dust wrapper. The third voulme of the collected poety of Harry Crosby. Published by the black Sun Press, Rue Cardinale, Paris by Caresse Crosby in a limited issue of only 500 copies. Glassine jacket shows tanning and chipping. Spine edges show some chipping. Interior clean and binding still strong. VERY RARE in any condition!

Bookseller Inventory # 17047

SOLD

Sleeping Together
Crosby, Harry

· Category: Sold ·