Rommel Drives on Deep Into Egypt

Rommel Drives on Deep into Egypt by Richard Brautigan. a collection of eighty-five poems, was Brautigan’s sixth collection of poetry; his eighth poetry book publication.

Brautigan visited Roxy and Judy Gordon in Austin, Texas, in August 1970. While there he was issued a Texas fishing license (August 14, 1970). It notes his height (6’4″) and weight (165 pounds).

The poem “Autobiography (Polish It like a Piece of Silver),” collected in Loading Mercury with a Pitchfork, contains a reference to Judy Gordon and Byrds, a town in central Texas, near Brownwood. Two poems, “A Study in Roads” and “Stone (real,” both collected in June 30th, June 30th contain references to Bee Caves, Texas, a small town twelve miles west of Austin. Brautigan may have visited Bee Caves with the Gordons. Roxy Gordon, in turn, dedicated his book, Some Things I Did (Austin, Texas: The Encino Press, 1971) to

RICHARD BRAUTIGAN
whose favorite gun is
the Colt Navy .36

In publicity materials associated with the publication of Gordon’s book Brautigan wrote:
Roxy and Judy Gordon are two very nice people with an open and perceptive way. Reading Roxy’s book is to meet them.

As to Gordon’s reference to Brautigan’s interest in the Colt Navy .36 handgun, novelist Tom McGuane said
[Brautigan] had a fascination with the . . . Colt because it seemed to sum up gun owning, democratic gun manufacture, and excellence, all in one thing.