¿Donde Duermes, Eldorado? y Otros Poemas (1964)

¿Donde Duermes, Eldorado? y Otros Poemas. Clerigo Herrero. La Imprenta de Rojo Escuderos. Warren's Olde Style, 7.8 x 11.9 cm. Cover of Tweedweave or Andora (3 varieties, S.22A, B, & C). 10 pt Bembo; Bembo title. 176 unnumbered copies (colophon states 160[ ) ]. September 6.  (RAS #4)

Published the same day as Nero, but a much more elusive title. Took more than a decade before my various alerts notified me a copy had appeared. Printed in the same Bembo as The Pedestrian, but on the smoother Warren paper used for Nero: the printing is definitely cleaner than The Pedestrian, but not as consistent as Nero. Not sure Bembo was a good text face for Squires; we all have some types we just can't make work, no matter how much we like them.

Besides being uncommon, this publication is notable for its small format, about the same size as the type sample book. He never used this format again, and it isn't clear why he used it here.

Nero / An Early Poem (1964)

NERO / An Early Poem. Clark Ashton Smith. 14.5 x 24.1 cm. 14 pt. small Post Roman; Albertus title. 307 un-numbered copies on Warren's Olde Style (3 color or texture varieties, S.21A-1, -2, & -3), handsewn sheets glued into a Tweedweave Dusty Red or Andorra Tan wrapper; 74 copies on Chroma (3 color varieties, S.21B-1, -2, & -3) glued into a Chroma Gray wrapper. 50 numbered S.21B copies have tipped-in a portrait of Smith; "proof copy" is hand-written in the other 24. Total of 381 copies (colophon states "about 450"). September 6. (RAS #3)

What's with all the variations? This has long been one of the most common & inexpensive Squires titles you'll encounter. Don't know why that is. Quantity of copies & quality of a then-young poet's writing?

Overall this is a much better looking production than The Pedestrian. Squires' printing is crisp  and consistent. Still a light touch when it comes to impression, but the quality of his printing was assisted by a better choice of paper (the copy I have is a smooth finish; the other "texture varieties" may not have aided the printing) and a larger type. (The colophon was set in 12-pt Centaur, and it also is well printed, so the quality of the poem's printing wasn't just happenstance.)

One oddity, an unsuccessful attempt at typographic creativity: the first few words in each stanza of the poem are letterspaced, creating an effect analogous to someone with a stutter.

But overall, an attractive pamphlet and example of Squires' work.