IF WE TAKE
by Bukowski, Charles; [Norse, Hal]
- Used
- Signed
- first
- Condition
- Near fine.
- Seller
-
Silver Spring, Maryland, United States
Payment Methods Accepted
About This Item
[Los Angeles]: Black Sparrow Press, 1970. Near fine.. First edition, association copy, with an extraordinary inscription and drawing from Bukowski at a pivotal moment in his career to Hal Norse, perennial literary scenester and author of the classic cut-up novel BEAT HOTEL. Norse was a frequent Bukowski correspondent beginning in the mid 1960s, and it was Norse who recommended Bukowski to Penguin Press for their Modern Poets series - then Bukowski's highest-profile appearance to date (they appeared together in the thirteenth installment). But the two didn't meet in person until January of 1969, a little less than a year before this inscription. Norse recalls the experience in his book MEMOIRS OF A BASTARD ANGEL: "I knew that a wild Falstaffian ruffian had come to shake things up with more fiction than fact, more fantasy than truth [...] Bukowski was misshapen [...] He looked [...] during down and out" (p. 420).
Indeed, the poet was down and out, frustrated at his job for the post office and desperate to find a way to support himself from his writing alone. He would find that opportunity later the same year when Black Sparrow publisher John Martin famously offered Bukowski a guaranteed $100 a month for life if he wrote for the press full time. According to Martin, their agreement went into effect January 2nd, 1970 - just six days after this inscription and only a few weeks before Bukowski completed his first novel, POST OFFICE. (IF WE TAKE was the first of many Black Sparrow greetings Bukowski would do for Black Sparrow Press.)
Norse and Bukowski remained life-long - if contentious - friends and correspondents (a collection of their letters has been slated, but delayed, for publication since 2002). Quite simply, one of the closest and warmest Bukowski associations we've seen. 5.5'' x 4.5''. Original string-tied stiff printed wrappers. One of 350 copies. [8] pages. Inscribed by Bukowski to Harold Norse: "12 -27 - 69 / For Hal Norse - / We've both been / through the fire, / dear friend, and / there's more to come - / more fire more o / so much more fire, / and we can only / wonder if we will / kill ourselves first, / or they. No matter - / they will never know. / yrs, / Charles Bukowski." Bukowski has also added to inside of front cover an illustration of a man smoking, signed "Buk." Touches of rubbing, soil. Well preserved.
Indeed, the poet was down and out, frustrated at his job for the post office and desperate to find a way to support himself from his writing alone. He would find that opportunity later the same year when Black Sparrow publisher John Martin famously offered Bukowski a guaranteed $100 a month for life if he wrote for the press full time. According to Martin, their agreement went into effect January 2nd, 1970 - just six days after this inscription and only a few weeks before Bukowski completed his first novel, POST OFFICE. (IF WE TAKE was the first of many Black Sparrow greetings Bukowski would do for Black Sparrow Press.)
Norse and Bukowski remained life-long - if contentious - friends and correspondents (a collection of their letters has been slated, but delayed, for publication since 2002). Quite simply, one of the closest and warmest Bukowski associations we've seen. 5.5'' x 4.5''. Original string-tied stiff printed wrappers. One of 350 copies. [8] pages. Inscribed by Bukowski to Harold Norse: "12 -27 - 69 / For Hal Norse - / We've both been / through the fire, / dear friend, and / there's more to come - / more fire more o / so much more fire, / and we can only / wonder if we will / kill ourselves first, / or they. No matter - / they will never know. / yrs, / Charles Bukowski." Bukowski has also added to inside of front cover an illustration of a man smoking, signed "Buk." Touches of rubbing, soil. Well preserved.
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Details
- Bookseller
- Brian Cassidy Bookseller at Type Punch Matrix (US)
- Bookseller's Inventory #
- 41204
- Title
- IF WE TAKE
- Author
- Bukowski, Charles; [Norse, Hal]
- Book Condition
- Used - Near fine.
- Quantity Available
- 1
- Publisher
- Black Sparrow Press
- Place of Publication
- [Los Angeles]
- Date Published
- 1970
- Keywords
- 20th century,1970s,US American,Beats,Association Copy,Poetry
Terms of Sale
Brian Cassidy Bookseller at Type Punch Matrix
Payment by check or money order (made out to "Type Punch Matrix"), VISA, MasterCard, Discover, American Express, Paypal. All books subject to prior sale. New customers are asked to prepay. Libraries, institutions, and established customers and dealers may be invoiced. Reciprocal trade courtesies.
About the Seller
Brian Cassidy Bookseller at Type Punch Matrix
Biblio member since 2004
Silver Spring, Maryland
About Brian Cassidy Bookseller at Type Punch Matrix
Brian Cassidy Bookseller is the counterculture department of Type Punch Matrix, a rare book firm founded in 2019 by Rebecca Romney and Brian Cassidy. BCB @ TPM specializes in the avant garde in all its various guises, including: The Beats; artists' books; poetry; small journals and magazines (especially those associated with the Mimeo Revolution); modern and contemprary art; photography; music; archives and appraisals; as well as vernacular, folk, and outsider books of all kinds. We are always looking to purchase books within my areas of interest, from single titles to collections. Please inquire. We are open by appointment and are easily accessible by public transit.
Glossary
Some terminology that may be used in this description includes:
- Association Copy
- An association copy is a copy of a book which has been signed and inscribed by the author for a personal friend, colleague, or...
- First Edition
- In book collecting, the first edition is the earliest published form of a book. A book may have more than one first edition in...
- Rubbing
- Abrasion or wear to the surface. Usually used in reference to a book's boards or dust-jacket.
- Wrappers
- The paper covering on the outside of a paperback. Also see the entry for pictorial wraps, color illustrated coverings for...
- Fine
- A book in fine condition exhibits no flaws. A fine condition book closely approaches As New condition, but may lack the...
- Inscribed
- When a book is described as being inscribed, it indicates that a short note written by the author or a previous owner has been...