Anthony Hecht. Signed copy. Stated first edition. New York: Atheneum, 1979. Both unclipped dust jacket (in a mylar wrapper) and hardcover are in Near Fine condition. No writing or markings found in the book, 91 pp.
Offered here is a signed first edition of The Venetian Papers by Anthony Hecht, a Pulitzer Prize–winning poet widely regarded as one of the foremost American formalists of the 20th century.
Originally published during a pivotal period in Hecht’s career, The Venetian Papers exemplifies his signature blend of classical influence, moral inquiry, and technical precision. Signed copies of Hecht’s work—particularly clean first editions—are increasingly sought after by collectors of modern poetry and postwar American literature.
Hecht, along with poets like Richard Wilbur, Howard Nemerov, and James Merrill, pushed back against mid-century free verse, showing that rhyme and meter could remain powerful and contemporary.
An excellent addition to any collection of signed poetry, modern first editions, or Pulitzer Prize–winning authors.
