Yanks: A Book of A.E.F. Verse (in a Special Case Commemorating Joyce Kilmer's Poem "The Wood Called Rought-Bouquet" and "L'envoi" and Announcing his Death
France: Stars and Stripes, 1918. First Edition. Small Octavo. Item #032109
. 92 unnumbered pages. Includes Joyce Kilmer's most notable poem, "Rouge Bouquet" (1918) which commemorated the deaths of two dozen members of his regiment in a German artillery barrage on American trench positions in the Rouge Bouquet forest north-east of the French village of Baccarat. At the time, this was a relatively quiet sector of the front, but the first battalion was struck by a German heavy artillery bombardment on the afternoon of March 7, 1918, that buried 21 men of the unit, killing 19 (of which 14 remained entombed). It is followed by "L'Envoi", a farewell poem, noting Kilmer's name and killed in action, July 30, 1918. This is the scarce first edition, the later issue was called the "peace edition". A near fine copy in the original paper wraps lettered in black, yapped edges, some toning to page edges, with the bookplate of William Abbott Pluemer and gift inscription by E.J. Dorstol, housed in a special clamshell box of 1/4 brown cloth over paper covered boards, with a black morocco spine label lettered in gilt noting Joyce Kilmer's poem.
Price: $125.00