The Apple That Astonished Paris.

COLLINS, Billy.

Item Number: 1379

Fayetteville: University of Arkansas Press, 1988.

First Edition. Hardcover. Octavo. Original blue boards with titles to the spine in silver. Lengthily inscribed [six lines] by the author. Fine in a near fine dust jacket that shows a little crimp to the spine crown. In 1988 the University of Arkansas Press published Billy Collins’s The Apple That Astonished Paris, his “first real book of poems,” as Collins describes it in a new, delightful preface written expressly for this new printing to help celebrate both the Press’s twenty-fifth anniversary and this book, one of the Press’s all-time best sellers. This collection includes some of Collins’s most anthologized poems, including “Introduction to Poetry,” “Another Reason Why I Don’t Keep a Gun in the House,” and “Advice to Writers.” The uncommon hardcover edition with a lovely inscription from this great poet.

Billy Collins was appointed Poet Laureate of the U.S. from 2001 to 2003. He is a Distinguished Professor at Lehman College of the City University of New York, the Senior Distinguished Fellow of the Winter Park Institute, Florida, and the recognized Literary Lion of the New York Public Library (1992), being selected as the New York State Poet for 2004-2006. These are partial to his other 10 awards and titles. Collins' awards are prestigious but so is his ability to remain humble despite them. For instance, Collins wrote the poem The Names at a special joint session of the United States Congress in 2002 to remember the vicitims of 9/11 attacks despite that he was not required as U.S. Poet Laureate to do so. He vowed not to include the poem in any of his books so as not to capitalize on the 9/11 attacks.