Gone Man Squared: Poems 1959-1967

Royston Ellis, the teenage rebel poet, burst onto the British literary scene with his debut books, Jiving to Gyp (1959) and Rave (1960). He pioneered “rocketry,” reciting his poems to rock n’ roll backing. In Liverpool, he collaborated with the Beatles, inspiring their hit record “Paperback Writer.” Controversial in 1960, Ellis sparked a nationwide debate on teenage life on TV’s Living For Kicks. He performed with Cliff Richard’s Shadows and later with Jimmy Page, who went on to form Led Zeppelin. Out of print for decades, his first two books, along with select early works, offer a rare glimpse into the early days of British beat poetry and music.