Blue

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Front cover of Blue, in gray wrappers with a drawing of a man in a rowboat.

This slender chapbook, printed in an edition of 175, is instantly recognizable as the work of Aralia Press, with its simple binding, lovely paper, and clean lines. The title poem, “Blue,” is likewise instantly recognizable as the work of Philip Levine, who strove to give poetic voice to the American working class throughout his career. The cover image was drawn by Nadya Brown, a UK-born artist who has been active since the 1960s.

Philip Levine. Blue. West Chester, Pennsylvania: Aralia Press, 1989.

Title page of Blue, with the cover drawing of a man in a rowboat repeated in blue ink.

View of the title poem, “Blue.”

Detail of the colophon for Blue, with Philip Levine’s signature in pencil underneath.