This photograph came to me as a gift from the grandson of Carlos Campbell. Campbell was a great proponent of the idea that the high country between Sevierville and the Cherokee Reservation should be somehow protected from commercial development, a idea which would ultimately become The Great Smoky Mountains National Park. Campbell toured with printed examples of his photography to show local residents and national dignitaries the rare beauty of the southern mountains. His work, along with such figures as Horace Kephart, helped to motivate both North Carolina and Tennessee legislators to support the development of the Park. As shown on the reverse of the image, this was used in those presentations and is numbered as 380. I have another I’ll post at another time. The image itself depicts a farmer, and the caption reads: “Tennessee - Near Sevierville Sorghum is grown generall thought the valleys (foothills). Planted in rows as seen here, it is grown for making “molasses” — known as “the poor man’s sweet”. Sown broadcast or drilled in closer rows, it is often brown as fees for cattle and horses. Cutting cane (sorghum) on the far of L.A. Latham, Route 5, Sevierville, Tennessee. Great Smoky Mountains National Park region. October 2, 1934.” The park was officially created in June of the same year. A special thanks to Frank who gifted me this fine photograph. . . . . . . . #carloscampbell #greatsmokymountainsnationalpark #blackandwhitephotography #gsmnp #sevierville #tennessee #photography #northcarolina #thesmokies #antiquephoto #sorghum #molasses #farming #knoxville #tn #nc #blackandwhite (at Sevierville, Tennessee) https://www.instagram.com/p/CqoG0f3pjk8/?igshid=NGJjMDIxMWI=

I’ll go ahead and say it: Robert Morgan might very well be the best living American poet. He is certainly the best living poet from our region. His work spans decades, and each book plays with different forms, styles, subjects, and characters. From hardscrabble farms to pondering solar terrestrial physics, his work spans the gambit and does so with a poetic clarity few can rival. He published his first book “Zirconia Poems” in 1969. This is one of the 25 hardback copies I’ve only heard rumors of until now. My friend Chan Gordon helped me find some of Morgan’s rarer chapbooks and such, and he always joked that one day he would sell me his Zirconia. Chan would go on to publish a small fine press edition of Morgan’s later book “October Light.” Morgan sent Chan this copy, and it includes the accompanying letter. I’m pleased to add it to the collection, as it will also serve as a reminder of Chan’s longstanding love and promotion of literature from the southern mountains. I’ve included the poems “Hunting” and “Junkyard After Storm” here. Fine book, without a jacket as issued. Numbered 19/25, and signed by Morgan. Association Copy. A new cornerstone of the collection. #robertmorgan #zirconiapoems #lillabuleropress #rarebooks #firstedition #bookcollection #bookcollecting #bookcollection #bibliophile #bookporn #bookhunting #bookstagram #modernfirsts #modernfirsteditions #finebooks #signedbooks #shelfie #southernliterature #southernlit #tennessee #appalachianlit #appalachianliterature #kentucky #northcarolina #virginia #westvirginia #appalachianpoetry https://www.instagram.com/p/CqWksHPsRY0/?igshid=NGJjMDIxMWI=

Jeff Daniel Marion is probably best known as a poet and teacher, and many of his students have gone on to their own successful literary careers. I think of writers such as Jesse Graves, Lynn Powell, Susan O’Dell Underwood as coming from his tree of influence. He also maintained long literary friendships with Ted Kooser, Robert Morgan, and Jim Wayne Miller. An interview with Kooser about their long relationship is in the current issue of Appalachian Places. His poems are often trim and almost bare, and his older works are becoming more difficult to find. This early chapbook is signed and limited, number 91/100. There are a few hardback copies somewhere in the world but I’ve not found a way to get my hands on one yet. Still, I’m pleased to find this copy even with a couple flaws, as “Tight Lines” contains some of his wonderful fishing poetry (new word to me: piscatory pastorals). The book also has the first appearance of Marion’s more notable poem entitled “By the Banks of the Holston,” the river upon which his cabin sits. Illustrations by George Chavatel, printed on the Iron Mountain Press. Good condition, obvious sunning to front cover, overall Good+ condition. . . . . . . #jeffdanielmarion #georgechavatel #ironmountainpress #tightlines #onthebanksoftheholston #holstonriver #rarebooks #firstedition #bookcollection #bookcollecting #bookcollection #bibliophile #bookporn #bookhunting #bookstagram #modernfirsts #modernfirsteditions #finebooks #signedbooks #shelfie #southernliterature #southernlit #tennessee #appalachianlit #appalachianliterature #kentucky #northcarolina #virginia #westvirginia #appalachianpoetry https://www.instagram.com/p/CqIfDqTuwRj/?igshid=NGJjMDIxMWI=

Pleased to get to stop by @hermitage_bookshop in Denver recently. Walls always high with high end copies and editions. Great little shop if you haven’t made it by. . . . . . . . #hermitagebookshop #hermitagebookstore #denver #colorado #rarebooks (at The Hermitage Bookshop) https://www.instagram.com/p/CpWJY14vOSP/?igshid=NGJjMDIxMWI=

So pleased to find this under the tree this year. Rare as a hardback, Jim Wayne Miller’s third full length book is probably his most influential and ends with his famous “Brier Sermon” poem. Miller signed this book to Nancy Carol Joyner, a prominent Southern and Appalachian literary scholar. Former president of SAMLA, she also put together the influential “Bloodroot: Reflections on Place by Appalachian Women Writers.” Pleased to find this association copy, and always glad to add to the Miller collection. I’ve included his poem “Bird in the House” here, a truly fine work and perhaps his best stand alone poem.. . . . . . . #jimwaynemiller #birdinthehouse #themountainshavecomecloser #nancycaroljoyner #rarebooks #firstedition #bookcollection #bookcollecting #bookcollection #bibliophile #bookporn #bookhunting #bookstagram #modernfirsts #modernfirsteditions #finebooks #signedbooks #shelfie #southernliterature #southernlit #tennessee #appalachianlit #appalachianliterature #kentucky #northcarolina #virginia #westvirginia #appalachianpoetry https://www.instagram.com/p/CmvL9zqMHK7/?igshid=NGJjMDIxMWI=

I don’t often post newly published works, but this one is worthwhile. Darius Stewart is a Knoxville native and published three chapbooks previously, and now @eastoverpress has collected them into a single volume. Many of these poems describe life in Knoxville intermingled with questions of father/son relationships, the low drumbeat of alcoholism, the struggles of living as a black gay man in the south, and the double edged beauty of family. The poems show a side on Knoxville rarely discussed and do so with surprising sustained power. Glad to have read it and to add another excellent Knoxville voice to my shelves. Stewart currently has work out at @cutleafjournal if anyone is interested. . . . . . . . . . . . #dariusstewart #intimaciesinborrowedlight #eastoverpress #cutleafjournal #knoxville #knoxvilletennessee #rarebooks #firstedition #bookcollection #bookcollecting #bookcollection #bibliophile #bookporn #bookhunting #bookstagram #modernfirsts #modernfirsteditions #finebooks #shelfie #southernliterature #southernlit #tennessee #appalachianlit #appalachianliterature #kentucky #northcarolina #virginia #westvirginia #appalachianpoetry (at Knoxville, Tennessee) https://www.instagram.com/p/CgoryiMO1PF/?igshid=NGJjMDIxMWI=

Looking forward to the George Scarbrough symposium at @reinhardt_university this weekend, as they prepare to open their new archives dedicated to the poet. Hopefully we’ll get to do a bit of trout fishing afterwards too. The lineup of speakers is strong and I am glad to see his work receiving some overdue academic attention. This is something I picked up a while back, the first copy of the Tennessee Poetry Journal. The lineup of writers is pretty impressive, including Ted Wright, Thomas Merton, William Stafford, Julia Randall, George Scarbrough, Frank Steele, Robert Bly, and David Ignatow. Published in the fall of 1967, I’d say it is quite a lineup for a first issue. Poem is “Trompe L’oeil” by Scarbrough. . . . #georgescarbrough #williamstafford #davidignatow #franksteele #juliarandall #thomasmerton #tedwright #robertbly #tennesseepoetryjournal #rarebooks #firstedition #bookcollection #bookcollecting #bookcollection #bibliophile #bookporn #bookhunting #bookstagram #modernfirsts #modernfirsteditions #finebooks #shelfie #southernliterature #southernlit #tennessee #appalachianlit #appalachianliterature #kentucky #northcarolina #virginia #appalachianpoetry (at Reinhardt University) https://www.instagram.com/p/CfJjEXJuR2V/?igshid=NGJjMDIxMWI=

Glad to connect with @kincaidjenkins103 and get a chance to read his book “Drinking With Others, Poetry by the Pint.” Another Tennessee writer. Poetry on Suttree and the Ukraine war, pappaws and Pistol Pete Maravich. Stories of the South and traveling abroad. Enjoyed the poems, and his excellent photography adds even further depth. I’ve posted “The Deputy” here as a sample. Check him out if you get a chance. . . . . . . . #kincaidjenkins #drinkingwithothers #rarebooks #firstedition #bookcollection #bookcollecting #bookcollection #bibliophile #bookporn #bookhunting #bookstagram #modernfirsts #modernfirsteditions #finebooks #signedbooks #shelfie #southernliterature #southernlit #tennessee #appalachianlit #appalachianliterature #kentucky #northcarolina #virginia #westvirginia #appalachianpoetry https://www.instagram.com/p/CfDIoZrsig_/?igshid=NGJjMDIxMWI=

Perhaps best know for his novel “Deliverance,” James Dickey was also an accomplished and acclaimed poet and even won the National Book Award for “Buckdancer’s Choice.” “The Zodiac” was Dickey’s first published long poem, and is dedicated to Hendrix Marsman who was lost at sea during the Second World War in the North Atlantic. This poem is something of an ekphrastic poem in response to Marsman’s long piece also called “The Zodiac.” Boldly signed with that famous Dickey signature, in the slipcase. Fine/Fine, signed. . . . . #jamesdickey #deliverance #thezodiac #hendrikmarsman #nationalbookaward #rarebooks #firstedition #bookcollection #bookcollecting #bookcollection #bibliophile #bookporn #bookhunting #bookstagram #modernfirsts #modernfirsteditions #finebooks #signedbooks #shelfie #southernliterature #southernlit #tennessee #appalachianlit #appalachianliterature #kentucky #northcarolina #virginia #westvirginia #appalachianpoetry #southcarolina https://www.instagram.com/p/CeceRXTsMBf/?igshid=NGJjMDIxMWI=

Looking to sell this guy if anyone is interested. “Cormac McCarthy: A Descriptive Bibliography” by Paul Ford. The book features high quality pictures detailing every work by McCarthy, including limited editions and major translations. Useful for signature comparisons, bookplate comparisons, and general collecting/selling. Even a few examples of ephemera materials. It is also excellent for just drooling over the Fine/Fine examples throughout. McCarthy’s self portrait is funny. Softcover. Book is in Fine condition and signed to me: “To M——, from one collector to another…. All the best, Paul Ford”. $90. . . . . . #cormacmccarthy #paulford #bibliography #modernfirsteditions #modernfirsts #rarebooks #bookcollecting #bookcollector #bookcollection #bookstagram #shelfie #bibliophile #finebooks #signedbooks #americanliterature #suttree #bloodmeridian #theroad #nocountryforoldmen #alltheprettyhorses https://www.instagram.com/p/CdlFKUVO-MA/?igshid=NGJjMDIxMWI=

Pleased to receive the Tenth Anniversary Expanded Edition of Jesse Graves’s first book “Tennessee Landscape with Plighted Pine.” I can remember finding a copy of this in a bookstore before I knew much about local, or even regional, literature and it came as a revelation to me that there might be a living poet who talked about the places around me, let alone someone who addressed contemporary concerns. I’ve since had my eyes opened to the huge amount of literature in the region, but seeing “Blighted Pine” in the title came as a surprise to me back then. This expanded edition comes with comments from a host of fine authors, such as Robert Morgan, Rita Sims Quillen, Fred Chappell, Jeff Daniel Marion, and Ron Rash. The edition also has an intro by Matthew Wimberly (@blueridgepoet). Fine new book from @texasreviewpress and I’m looking forward to the 12 new poems. Poem is “Most Distant Antiquity.” . . . . #jessegraves #tennesselansscapewithightedpine #ritasimsquillen #ronrash #robertmorgan #fredchappell #rarebooks #firstedition #bookcollection #bookcollecting #bookcollection #bibliophile #bookporn #bookhunting #bookstagram #modernfirsts #modernfirsteditions #finebooks #signedbooks #southernliterature #southernlit #tennessee #appalachianlit #appalachianliterature #kentucky #northcarolina #virginia #westvirginia #appalachianpoetry #tennessee https://www.instagram.com/p/CdPbMzrsGAD/?igshid=NGJjMDIxMWI=

Pleased to find an inscribed copy of George Scarbrough’s second book “The Course is Upwards.” Rare to find at all, and when I opened this copy it came with a review slip tucked into the first page. A nice surprise from George Brosi of Appalachian Mountain Books. Scarbrough’s family worked as tenet farmers and workednumerous farms across Polk and Meigs counties, and much of his writings draws at least in part from those experiences and places. Fine/Very Good jacket, with review slip,inscribed: “Play on whatever harp is available. HL David. George.” Poem: “For a Brother Man Leaving Home.” #georgescarbrough #thecourseisupward #forayoungbrotherleavinghome #rarebooks #firstedition #bookcollection #bookcollecting #bookcollection #bibliophile #bookporn #bookhunting #bookstagram #modernfirsts #modernfirsteditions #finebooks #signedbooks #shelfie #southernliterature #southernlit #tennessee #appalachianlit #appalachianliterature #kentucky #northcarolina #virginia #westvirginia #appalachianpoetry https://www.instagram.com/p/CdCTNcYsesA/?igshid=NGJjMDIxMWI=

Very pleased to be gifted this fine copy of Susan O’Dell Underwood’s chapbook “Swaying Towards” published on the Mossy Creek Press. Beautiful piece, and a title I had not heard of before. Fine copy, #9/100, signed #susanodellunderwood #swayingtowards #mossycreekpress #carsonnewman #rarebooks #firstedition #bookcollection #bookcollecting #bookcollection #bibliophile #bookporn #bookhunting #bookstagram #modernfirsts #modernfirsteditions #finebooks #signedbooks #shelfie #southernliterature #southernlit #tennessee #appalachianlit #appalachianliterature #kentucky #northcarolina #virginia #westvirginia #appalachianpoetry https://www.instagram.com/p/Cco5974sk3e/?igshid=NGJjMDIxMWI=

Frank Bannon does excellent work on The Speakeasy Press. This fine example of his work is Maurice Manning’s chapbook “Fable” on handmade cotton rag and retired flax paper. Beautiful work. Photopolymer illustrations by John Smith. Poem is “Void.” Fine condition, limited edition of 100 copies. #mauricemanning #fables #frankbannon #speakeasypress #johnsmithillustrator #rarebooks #firstedition #bookcollection #bookcollecting #bookcollection #bibliophile #bookporn #bookhunting #bookstagram #modernfirsts #modernfirsteditions #finebooks #signedbooks #shelfie #southernliterature #southernlit #tennessee #appalachianlit #appalachianliterature #kentucky #northcarolina #virginia #westvirginia #appalachianpoetry https://www.instagram.com/p/CcbejOjLhy2/?igshid=NGJjMDIxMWI=

Really pleased to get to attend Maurice Manning’s recent reading at East Tennessee State University. He read numerous poems and accompanied them with some picking and song. Lots of laughter and humor mixed with startling powerful lines in each work. ETSU and puts on a great event which Manning was the keynote, but also excellent presentations from Cody Smith, Valerie Vogrin, Amy Wright, and Shawna Kay Rodenberg, with additional readings by Lacy Snapp and Thomas Alan Holmes. #mauricemanning #amywright #codysmith #lacysnapp #valerievogrin #etsu #jessegraves #rarebooks #firstedition #bookcollection #bookcollecting #bookcollection #bibliophile #bookporn #bookhunting #bookstagram #modernfirsts #modernfirsteditions #finebooks #signedbooks #shelfie #southernliterature #southernlit #tennessee #appalachianlit #appalachianliterature #kentucky #northcarolina #virginia #westvirginia #appalachianpoetry (at East Tennessee State University) https://www.instagram.com/p/CcY2hdcr_IB/?igshid=NGJjMDIxMWI=

Currently reading this, which I believe to be especially insightful writing on southern men, hunting culture, and the slow change of human interaction with wilderness. Charles Dodd White (@charlesdoddwhite) is a cultural critic worth listening to. If you haven’t read his essay “Why I Don’t Hunt Anymore,” I highly suggest it. It changed the way I interpret hunting and fishing rhetoric, particularly in the branding and marketing styles which feature death as opposed to stewardship. Give it a read, you’ll find it worth it. Inscribed first edition, fine pb. #charlesdoddwhite #ayearwithoutmonths #whyidonthuntanymore #westvirginiapress #wvpress #rarebooks #firstedition #bookcollection #bookcollecting #bookcollection #bibliophile #bookporn #bookhunting #bookstagram #modernfirsts #modernfirsteditions #finebooks #signedbooks #shelfie #southernliterature #southernlit #tennessee #appalachianlit #appalachianliterature #kentucky #northcarolina #virginia #westvirginia #appalachianpoetry https://www.instagram.com/p/CcL0NNPJUU0/?igshid=NGJjMDIxMWI=

Marilou Awiakta’s first book, which examines the impact of the Manhattan Project on the people of Bear Creek Valley, Black Oak Ridge, and other communities along the Clinch River Valley. These communities were ultimately removed to create the planned city of Oak Ridge. I have posted a section of a poem here. I picked this up from George Brosi at the Tennessee Mountain Writers Conference, in Oak Ridge TN. First edition, Very Good condition. #marilouawiakta #abidingappalachia #littledeer #oakridge #rarebooks #firstedition #bookcollection #manhattanproject #bookcollecting #bookcollection #bibliophile #bookporn #bookhunting #bookstagram #modernfirsts #modernfirsteditions #finebooks #signedbooks #shelfie #southernliterature #southernlit #tennessee #appalachianlit #appalachianliterature #kentucky #northcarolina #virginia #westvirginia #appalachianpoetry (at Oak Ridge, Tennessee) https://www.instagram.com/p/CcHOUyFMTJP/?igshid=NGJjMDIxMWI=