Rare Book of the Day – Rommel Drives on Deep into Egypt, Richard Brautigan. First Edition.

I've posted Richard Brautigan before, but here's another one. Brautigan was sort of a bridge between the beat generation and the hippies, and he hits all the right notes for me: whimsical, witty, satirical, and surreal. Not to mention he had a wonderful fashion sense (photo to follow).

The covers for his books were always fantastic, and this one is no exception. Rommel Drives on Deep into Egypt is his eighth poetry collection, published in 1970. The title refers to a 1942 San Francisco Chronicle headline Rommel's operation during the North African Campaign in World War II. The title poem is six lines:

Rommel is dead.
His army has joined the quicksand legions
of history where the battle is always
a metal echo saluting a rusty shadow.
His tanks are gone.
How's your ass?

This is the first printing:

Brautigan:

More info here:
https://www.ebay.com/itm/192249269634