Lawrence Ferlinghetti passed away on Monday, February 22, 2021 at the age of 101. For people who lived the 1960s experience, he was a fundamental force in American poetry and in our personal lives. Not only a renown poet, he was core to the advancement of modern American poetry through his publishing efforts and his San Francisco bookstore, City Lights Books.

I was first introduced to his “pocket” series publications of poetry in college by the poet in residence, Donald Baker. These paperback books literally fit in your pocket and were incredibly affordable; an ingenious and attractive combination for any college student! My first purchase in the series was actually Allen Ginsberg’s Howl, who we considered the Walt Whitman of our time. The fact that Howl had been censored made it all the more exciting and relevant. Ferlinghetti’s most famous book of poems, of course, is Coney Island of the Mind, and I have since college kept the New Directions 1958 edition in my home library.

While working at Bancroft Library, I was fortunate to meet Ferlinghetti. The curator of literary manuscripts, Tony Bliss, had convinced Ferlinghetti that Bancroft Library was the right place for his archive. Bliss, a third generation curator of rare books and literary manuscripts, had the moxie and charisma needed to ice the deal. At our meeting, Ferlinghetti wore a thin 1950’s tie so loosely it hung like a wet noodle. He sat lanky-legged and fidgeted like tall men usually do in hard office chairs. His ocean-blue eyes sparkled with boundless warmth and charm when he spoke. He was clearly having fun with the notion of his legacy and with our stated role in its preservation.

Even so, Ferlinghetti was a shrewd businessman and understood that his archive had monetary value. But he also understood the financial limits that a public university faced. He agreed to sell portions of the archive over time in multiple, three-year payment plans, and we were ecstatic by the opportunity to serve as his repository. He later helped Bancroft Library acquire most other California Beat poet archives (except Ginsberg’s papers which were purchased by Stanford) through his many personal contacts.

The UO Special Collections holds several printed titles of Ferlinghetti’s poetry. The most interesting volume is a fine press edition of Coney Island by Andrew Hoyem of Arion Press, San Francisco (2005). I consider Hoyem one of the greatest fine press printers of recent time. The types are handset Goudy Light and Goudy Heavy. The text was printed by letterpress. The portrait prints are reproduced from the original drawings and were printed on an Epson 4000 inkjet. The paper is mould-made Hahnemühle Bugra. The edition is limited to three hundred numbered copies for sale and twenty-six lettered copies for complimentary distribution (UO copy is No. 66). All copies are signed by the poet and the artist.

For further reading: Old Italians Dying

— David de Lorenzo, SCUA Director