Ephemera from Gargoyle Books

Chicago, Illinois, U.S.A.: John Dienhart Publishing Co., 1964. First Thus . Soft cover. Very Good. Vintage 60's nostalgia! Prepared under the leadership of John F. Kennedy, the first American president to address the issue of the nation's fitness, who, after instituting the President's Physical Fitness Program in the nation's schools for children, commissioned this booklet. In 64 pages,… Read more about this item

Macon, Georgia: J. W. Burke Company, 1932. First Thus . Soft cover. Good+. Fictionalized, but based on true accounts, of a former enslaved man in the post-Civil War South making his way back "home" to his old master. First self-published by the author in 1920, this is the First Edition, first printing, from the J. W. Burke Co.… Read more about this item

Washington, D.C.: U.S. Government Printing Office, 1970. First Softcover Edition . Soft cover. Very Good+. Published in 1970 in the midst of the ongoing Vietnam War, this booklet is a photo essay of the US Marines in action, highlighting combat operations, civil action programs, & aviation. Black & white photos on every page. Softcover 8vo (11" x 8.5")… Read more about this item

New York, New York: Pocket Books, Inc., 1962. First Thus . Soft cover. Fair. Preceding the American program pioneered during the Kennedy administration (President's Physical Fitness Program), this version was issued by the Royal Canadian Air Force in the early 1960s. Wildly popular & becoming a fixture in most Canadian homes, it went through 17 printings before being… Read more about this item

Davis, California: University of California, Davis, 1967. First Edition First Printing . Soft cover. Near Fine. In an introduction to Vol. 1, co-editor Gail Hermann explains the purpose of the Festival of the Arts, noting that it was open to the entire UC Davis community. These two "Subway Exit" booklets contain the final winners of the literary… Read more about this item

United States Postal Service, 1992. First Edition First Printing . No Binding. As New. Stutzman, Mark; Berkey, John. Issued by the United State Post Office as part of a pre-release promotion for its new Elvis stamp, a commemorative 29-cent issue in honor of singer/actor Elvis Presley (1935-1977). Out of many designs originally submitted, two made it into… Read more about this item

Hampstead, London, England: Ranelagh Press, 1968. Hardcover. Very Good. Short-lived (12 issues) British magazine of arts & culture, founded by university students in Cambridge, England, in 1965. Its stated intent "has been to avoid the well-known categories behind which most small magazines shelter, & to aim for a spectrum of ideas, opinions & concerns that are not purely critical, but… Read more about this item

New York, New York: Freedomways Associates, Inc., 1979. Soft cover. Very Good. Published quarterly by Freedomways Associates, Inc. from 1961-1985, this journal was one of the preeminent publications for African-American politics & culture during the years leading up to & traversing the civil rights movement in the US. It was founded by some of the most prominent figures… Read more about this item

New York, New York: Time, Inc., 1936. First Edition First Printing . Soft cover. Near Fine. Premiere issue of the magazine that would define American culture for the next half century, published as a weekly until 1972, then in intermittent special issues, & finally as a monthly until it ceased publication altogether in 2000. Launching the careers of… Read more about this item

Northbrook, Illinois: Myrddin Press, 1975. Hardcover. Near Fine. Short-lived science fiction/fantasy/supernatural fanzine published by Myrddin Press in Northbrook, IL, which moved to Chicago with Issue No. 4. The zine ceased publication with Issue No. 5 in 1980. Named for the Welsh form of "the legendary magician "Merlin," the press is still in operation (2023). Colored stiff wrappers,… Read more about this item

Soft cover. Very Good. A leftist-leaning periodical in continual publication since it was launched in 1909 as La Follette's Weekly, changing to La Follette's for a few years, & then, in 1929, to The Progressive. This sample of issues provides a time capsule into the politics of the era, when trust in the American government was beginning… Read more about this item

New Orleans, Louisiana: Passenger Traffic Department, Southern Pacific-Sunset Route, 1908. Soft cover. VG-/G+. A guide issued by the Southern Pacific line of steamships to entice travelers to board one of their ships for "a hundred glorious hours at seas" as it journeyed from New York to New Orleans ("the Paris of America") during the 1908/09 season. The many… Read more about this item

The Hague, Netherlands: Mouton & Co., 1971. First Edition First Printing . Soft cover. Near Fine. Next-to-last published work for this world-renowned playwright & poet (1914-2003), in which he explores the very nature of creativity, focusing on "the artist's problems in liberating his creative will & imagination & attaining self-integration." A First Edition, first printing, published in the… Read more about this item

1952. Wrappers. Very Good+. Scrapbook containing 46 color postcards, some linen, & 66 black & white postcards commemorating an American couple's 22-day vacation in June-July 1952 from Vancouver B.C. to Queen Charlotte Islands, including visits to the Grand Coulee Dam, Washington, Oregon, & California. With another married couple able to afford first class continuous passage on the steamer… Read more about this item

New York, New York: Avante-Garde Media, Inc., 1969. Hardcover. Good. Single issue of this short-lived (Jan. 1968-July 1971), bimonthly magazine dedicated to radical politics, edited by Ralph Ginzburg, which ceased publication when he started serving his prison sentence in 1972 for violating federal obscenity laws. (He later wrote "Castrated: My Eight Months in a Federal Prison" to describe… Read more about this item

Chicago, Illinois, 1933. First Edition First Printing . Soft cover. VG-. The 1933/34 "A Century of Progress International Exposition,'' also known as the Chicago World's Fair, was designed to help people who might be "still mired in the malaise of the Great Depression" to have hope & look forward to a future would be better & brighter, driven… Read more about this item

Forestville, California: Eclipse Enterprises, 1992. First Edition First Printing . No Binding. New. Bright, John; Lee, Paul. Very scarce & highly controversial collectible from the early 1990s.The focus of instant outrage from many different groups, the cards were completely banned in many areas. There's no way around it: they glorify criminals & totally forget their victims. Things have… Read more about this item

Scottsdale, Arizona: Land O'Sun Printers, 1971. Third Edition . Hardcover. Near Fine. Vintage book written by the Woman's Auxiliary to the Maricopa County (AZ) Medical Auxiliary in 1965, designed as a textbook for Good Emergency Mother Substitute (GEMS) Programs, babysitting training programs for girls. In 106 pages, illustrated throughout by the author, general health & safety education tips… Read more about this item

1963. First Edition First Printing . Soft cover. Very Good+. Promotional/informational brochure describing two forthcoming high-speed XV-5A research aircraft being developed by General Electric & the Ryan Aeronautical Company at Ft. Eustis, Virginia, which were scheduled for their first flight in late 1963. Here, the XV-5A program & the planes' design features & capabilities are described in words,… Read more about this item

San Diego, California: Ryan Aeronautical Company, 1964. First Edition First Printing . Soft cover. Very Good+. Promotional brochure c. 1964 documenting Ryan Aeronautical's many contributions to aviation & the development of manned flight, 1925-1964. Both schematic drawings & vintage black-and-white photos provide accompaniment to text. In 16 unnumbered pages & decorative wrappers, stapled binding, this softcover 4to is… Read more about this item