What Work Is. Inscribed by Philip Levine. First Edition, First Printing. Knopf. New York, 1991.

Philip Levine is one of the most celebrated American poets of his generation. He was honored with the Pulitzer Prize, the National Book Award for Poetry (twice), the Ruth Lilly Poetry Prize, and many other awards. He was also the United States Poet Laureate in 2011-2012. His work is noted for its colloquialisms, its narrative progressions, its unflinching eye on familial and working class themes. Probably no collection encapsulates his genius better than What Work Is. The titular poem remains one of the most celebrated poems of the last 50 years. The other poems in the collection, however, are also exceptional. They deal with grief, labor, and working-class politics. The collection won the National Book Award for Poetry in 1991. This first edition, first printing is inscribed by Levine on the half-title page. It is in fine condition. In the original full cloth, fine. Text block fine. In the original dust jacket, fine. A fine inscribed first edition of What Work Is.