“It seems clear that Williams is the twentieth-century poet who has done most to influence our very conception of what poetry should do, and how much it does not need to.”
— Adam Kirsch, The New York Review of Books on William Carlos Williams's By Word of Mouth
The New Directions Pearl series offers short masterpieces by great authors at enticing prices: under $10! The Pearl series presents short works from contemporary masters such as César Aira and Javier Marías, and also includes relaunches of several ND Bibelots, which introduced readers to seminal works by classic ND authors such as Borges and Mishima.
Designed by Rodrigo Corral, these slim volumes boast a striking minimalist style: bold geometric shapes against a stark white background. Order them online here, or look for them at your local bookstore.
New Directions was founded in 1936, when James Laughlin (1914 - 1997), then a twenty-two-year-old Harvard sophomore, issued the first of the New Directions anthologies. "I asked Ezra Pound for 'career advice,'" James Laughlin recalled. "He had been seeing my poems for months and had ruled them hopeless. He urged me to finish Harvard and then do 'something' useful."