There are 146 chapbooks noted online in Princeton’s Rare Books and Special Collections. Certainly there are many more without any special genre heading. Our newest addition is a chapbook by the musician Tom Waits entitled Seeds on Hard Ground (2011).
Ours is a second edition. The first printing of 1,000 copies sold-out in a matter of minutes. The publishers state, “This will be the final printing and the last chance to purchase this limited edition chap book. The second printing will be limited
to 1000 copies in North America. The street date will be February 28th.” Ours came yesterday.
Tom Waits is releasing Seeds On Hard Ground in collaboration with his label Anti records to raise funds for homeless services in his region and to bring attention to a growing problem in today’s hard times. A book of photographs by Michael O’Brien and poetry by Waits entitled Hard Ground is scheduled for release later this year.
Tom Waits, Seeds on Hard Ground (San Francisco: X-Ray Book Co., 2011). Graphic Arts GAX 2011- in process
