British Poetry Magazines 1914-2000

I remember a story from maybe the 1980's where Bob Dylan was trying to order a copy of every record that featured a version of one of his songs. I don't know how successful the project was, or how he would have known.

I ordered this book because I found that I was mentioned in it. British Poetry Magazines, 1914-2000: A History and Bibliography of 'Little Magazines', compiled by David Miller and Richard Price. It is much more bibliography than history and, as I thought, my mention is a listing of Allusions magazine that I co-edited issue 1 of, at Lancaster University in 1979. So, not worth having for that alone but it should be interesting to look through.
However, it doesn't compare with such things as the issue of Navis magazine, a very glorious career highspot in which I was listed as a contributor on the same back cover as Thom Gunn was listed as a previous contributor. I don't mind being no more than a footnote.

This parody of John Dean's style will fulfil the remit of a forthcoming Portsmouth Poetry Society evening on Parodies,

On Being a Footnote

with apologies to John Dean

At last, I am a footnote
in the history of verse,
a role that suits me well
and I have no need to rehearse.

It’s not for me the glamour
of the life of a laureate.
A small, marginal mention
is the most that I will get.

There will not be a movement
attributed to Green
as my career went straight from
young upstart to has been.

The pursuit of all such glory
was sadly never my game
and so it’s only in a footnote
that you will find my name.