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The Way It Wasn't: From the Files of James Laughlin

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James Laughlin was a unique contributor to the arts of America. Not only was he a man of monetary wealth, he was also a man of fanatical genius in searching out and publishing works by the modernists of the 20th century in his infamous and invaluable New Directions Publishing house. This splendid book is filled with the writings of famous persons but it doesn't stop there. Included in this irresistible volume are photographs, book covers, hand written notes, postcards, doodles and other memorabilia of some very important artists of word and image.

Included in this witty and wise and funky book are examples of alphabetically arranged luminaries such as Paul Bowles, Gertrude Stein, Tennessee Williams, William Carlos Williams, Merton, Miller, Pound, Pablo Neruda, Denise Levertov, Bei Dao, Wyndham Lewis, Jean Cocteau, Lillian Hellman, Allen Ginsberg - to mention only a few. Laughlin's comments on these and others are poignant, full of gossip, insightful and hilarious.

The volume has been published by - who else? - New Directions and the 343-page book is richly illustrated and overflowing with bits and pieces of James Laughlin's autobiography s well as his own works and his pithy observations of the people whose careers he helped secure. This is a splendid book for all those who love to read as well as those who love to delve into history - from the backdoor! Highly recommended. Grady Harp, November 06

James Laughlin who died at 83 in 1997 left behind a vast collection of personal files filled with notes, stories, pictures, and other memorabilia about the people he had known through his life. Most of these were literature figures from the early and middle of the twentieth century.

The collection of material is about as random as you could imagine. They are simply filed as you would in a filing cabinet from A (begins with Auto-Bug-Offery) to Z (Louis Zukofsky). The entries vary from a few lines to a few pages and reflect some incident, some communication, some little something that lends an added dimension to their relationship and to our understanding of both Laughlin and the subject.

Expect no consistency, it's A to Z order and while generally the letter of the alphabet refers to the last name of the subject, this isn't necessarily the case. For instance in the entry under Hitler, he is barely mentioned.

The best part of this book is it's unexpectedness. You have absolutely no idea what going to be said next.

Laughlin is of interest to historians of publishing and those old enough to remember him and New Directions
- even if its list was irritating. The Way it wasn't is an inviting title, but the book is grossly over-produced:
printed on heavy art paper, too much white space amongst the blocks of self-conscious typography. The
personality exposed by the book is like his list: a mixture of shrewdness, self-indulgence and vanity. Probably
not the best memorial.