Press

The fine arts effect comes from nature as well as nurture. "I really became interested in poetry as a teenager," Gronlund said last week. He cites West Coast poet Gary Snyder as a major influence on his thinking and his approach to life and choices, and EFG Books features many titles from Lawrence Ferlinghetti's famous City Lights press....

Geoff Gronlund, co-owner of EFG Books and Gallery in Bridgton, Maine, is a huge fan of the Beat generation. He credits finding a copy of Ken Kesey's Last Go Round in an Ithaca, New York, bookstore in 2002 as the beginning of his loyalty toward collecting books. "It was boldly signed by him," Geoff says, shaking his head incredulously. "And it was limited to 200 signed copies. I bought it for $11, but it was probably worth $100-150." Once he started looking online, Geoff found an amazing array of limited editions. He says the Beats were always trying to get published anywhere they could, just like anybody would be. "So I got the bug," he says. "Some people collect stamps, coins, boats. Whatever it might be, I collect books."