The Gorgeous Nothings: Emily Dickinson's Envelope Poems

A remarkable find. I love Dickinson's poems. To find she wrote snippets of ideas and small poems on the backs of opened-up envelopes and scraps of paper (such an environmentally friendly thing to do) was a revelation - so to discover someone had gone to the trouble to scan these and provide 'visual translations' (her handwriting can be difficult at times) was a joy. This is a book to treasure. I have now started the practice with my own poetry. I'll never be worthy of opening the envelopes of Emily Dickinson, but I like the idea of using a technique she employed.

I bought it for myself and wound up buying another and giving both away because it is such a lovely book to spend time with. Now I have to order another for myself! What helps a lot, since Dickinson's writing can be difficult to read, are the little maps with the text in printed form so that the reader can take in both the graphic and literary meaning of the poems. It's special, this book.

This is a big, beautiful, coffee table type book. Being able to see the poems in their raw format, on tiny scraps of used envelope, adds a whole new dimension to the experience of reading them.This would make a wonderful present for any poetry fan.

This is a superbly illustrated book and makes me want to stroke the pages every time I open it.

A most wonderful book!