Charles Bukowski First Editions

• Flower, Fist and Bestial Wail — 1960 · Hearse PressBukowski's first book, published October 1960 as Hearse Chapbook No. 5; edition of 200 copies. Original wire-stitched white wrappers, front cover lettered in red with Ben Tibbs fist-gripping-a-flower illustration; 28 pp. (Dorbin A1). A small private Author's Edition of 5 copies exists with a tipped-in signed typescript poem. True first is the 1960 Hearse Press chapbook; very scarce. No book club edition.
• Longshot Pomes for Broke Players — 1962 · 7 Poets Press7 Poets Press, New York, edited/produced by Carl Larsen; edition of approximately 200 copies. Publisher's tan-brown wrappers, 44 pp., with drawings after Bukowski and a short author biography. Distinctive point: the cover title reads "Pomes" while the title page reads "poems.". True first is the 1962 7 Poets Press wrappered original. No book club edition.
• Run with the Hunted — 1962 · Midwest Poetry ChapbooksIssued as Midwest Poetry Chapbooks No. 1 by R.R. Cuscaden, March 1962; edition of approximately 300 copies. Saddle-stapled stiff red paper wrappers printed in black, 32 pp., printed at Quality Press, Montreal; dedicated to William Corrington. Distinct from the 1993 HarperCollins reader of the same title. True first of the chapbook is the 1962 Midwest Poetry Chapbooks edition; do not confuse with the 1993 anthology of the same title. No book club edition.
• It Catches My Heart in Its Hands — 1963 · Loujon PressLoujon Press (Jon and Louise Webb), New Orleans, 1963; edition of 777 copies, subtitled New & Selected Poems 1955-1963. Letterpress on multiple colored papers, stapled into thick white card covers with a cork front-cover panel and title block; wrap-around outer jacket. High production values; copies typically signed by Bukowski. True first is the 1963 Loujon issue, a landmark fine-press Bukowski. No book club edition; the 777-copy limitation and varied papers are the points.
• Cold Dogs in the Courtyard — 1965 · Literary Times / CyfoethLiterary Times / Cyfoeth Publications, Chicago, 1965; edition of 500 copies, letterpress. Saddle-stapled printed and illustrated wrappers, 24 pp., cover illustration by Betsy Millam, with a foreword by Bukowski; gathers 13 poems. Notably the only chapbook in which Bukowski selected his own poems. True first is the 1965 Literary Times / Cyfoeth wrappered chapbook. No book club edition.
• Crucifix in a Deathhand — 1965 · Loujon Press / Lyle StuartLoujon Press (Jon and Louise Webb), New Orleans, with the imprint of Lyle Stuart, 1965; approximately 3,100 copies, subtitled New Poems 1963-1965. Large format, hand-letterpress on multiple shades of heavy deckle-edged Linweave paper, with four black-and-white etchings with tissue overlays by Noel Rockmore; copies signed and dated by Bukowski on the leaf preceding the colophon. True first is the 1965 Loujon Press / Lyle Stuart issue. No book club edition.
• At Terror Street and Agony Way — 1968 · Black Sparrow PressBlack Sparrow's first Bukowski title, issued in two formats. Trade issue in wrappers (about 800 copies) with a mounted paper title label; the earliest state has the label misprinting the word as 'Sreet' on a small number of copies before correction. Hardcover issue of 75 copies, signed and numbered by Bukowski in the colophon, each with an original tipped-in painting by the author and lengthwise spine labels…. True first is the 1968 Black Sparrow edition. The 75 signed and numbered hardbound copies are the premium state; among wrappered copies the earliest 'Sreet' misprint state precedes the corrected label. No book club edition.
• Poems Written Before Jumping Out of an 8 Story Window — 1968 · Litmus / Poetry X/ChangeWrappered chapbook of about 400 copies, printed in the summer of 1968 by Poetry X/Change in Glendale, California. The verso of the title page carries the statement 'a LITMUS first edition.' Cover reproduces P. David Horton's 'Self-Portrait'; contains 18 poems, with 'Cows in Art Class' printed lengthwise at the centerfold beside a Bukowski drawing reproduced in orange. True first is the 1968 Litmus / Poetry X/Change wrappered chapbook, limited to roughly 400 copies. No book club edition.
• Notes of a Dirty Old Man — 1969 · Essex HousePaperback original from Essex House (An Essex House Original, series number 0115), North Hollywood, California; pictorial mass-market wrappers, 255 pages. Collects Bukowski's 'Notes of a Dirty Old Man' columns from the underground paper Open City. The first edition (Krumhansl 29a) carries uncorrected misprints on pages 208 and 221. True first is the 1969 Essex House paperback original, preceding the later City Lights edition. No book club edition. The subsequent City Lights edition is a later first-thus reissue, not the true first.
• The Days Run Away Like Wild Horses Over the Hills — 1969 · Black Sparrow PressBlack Sparrow's second Bukowski book. Issued in trade wrappers, plus a hardbound limited edition: 250 copies signed and numbered by Bukowski (signed in red on the limitation page at the rear), and an ultra-limited issue of 50 lettered copies, each signed and containing an original Bukowski illustration. True first is the 1969 Black Sparrow edition. The 250 signed/numbered and 50 signed/lettered (with original art) hardbound copies are the premium states. No book club edition.
• Post Office — 1971 · Black Sparrow PressBukowski's first novel. Issued in trade paper wrappers (about 2000 copies) and in a hardbound limited edition of 250 copies signed and numbered by Bukowski, bound in cloth-backed boards with a paper spine label. True first is the 1971 Black Sparrow edition. The 250 signed/numbered hardbound copies are the premium state. No book club edition.
• Erections, Ejaculations, Exhibitions and General Tales of Ordinary Madness — 1972 · City Lights BooksPictorial wrappers; Bukowski's first collection of short stories, edited by Gail Chiarello. The first printing is identified by the date code 4-72 on the last page of ads at the rear. No statement of later printings. Later split into two paperbacks (Tales of Ordinary Madness and The Most Beautiful Woman in Town) in 1983. True first is the 1972 City Lights wrappered original, first printing (4-72 ad-page date code). No book club edition.
• Mockingbird Wish Me Luck — 1972 · Black Sparrow PressIssued in trade wrappers and trade hardbound, both preceded by a signed limited edition of approximately 250 to 300 copies numbered and signed by Bukowski on the limitation page, bound in printed boards with a cloth backstrip and mounted spine label. A further deluxe issue of about 75 copies was signed and contained an original Bukowski drawing. True first is the 1972 Black Sparrow edition. The signed/numbered limited copies and the small deluxe issue with an original drawing are the premium states. No book club edition.
• South of No North: Stories of the Buried Life — 1973 · Black Sparrow PressIssued simultaneously in trade paperback wrappers, a signed/numbered hardcover limited of 300 copies, and a deluxe hardcover state (roughly 50 copies) with an original drawing by Bukowski. Black Sparrow first printings carry a color-printed title page; no statement of later printings. True first is the 1973 Black Sparrow issue; the signed/numbered hardcover of 300 and the deluxe copies with original artwork are the limited states. No book club edition.
• Burning in Water, Drowning in Flame: Selected Poems 1955-1973 — 1974 · Black Sparrow PressIssued in trade paperback wrappers, a signed/numbered hardcover limited of 300 copies (quarter cloth over paper-covered boards, spine label, acetate jacket), and 50 numbered copies handbound with an original drawing by Bukowski. Color-printed title page marks the first printing; no statement of later printings. True first is the 1974 Black Sparrow issue; the 300 signed/numbered hardcovers and 50 artwork copies are the limited states. Note the book's title page is variously subtitled 1955-1973 and 1955-1974. No book club edition.
• Factotum — 1975 · Black Sparrow PressBukowski's second novel. Issued in trade paperback wrappers and a trade hardcover of 1000 copies (black cloth spine over pale green/paper-covered boards, spine label, plain acetate jacket), plus a signed/numbered hardcover of 250 copies and a deluxe state of 75 copies with an original painting bound in. Color-printed title page marks the first printing; no statement of later printings. True first is the 1975 Black Sparrow issue; the 250 signed/numbered and 75 artwork copies are the limited states. No book club edition.
• Love Is a Dog from Hell — 1977 · Black Sparrow PressIssued in trade paperback wrappers and a trade hardcover of 750 copies (orange cloth over tan printed boards, paper spine label, mylar jacket), plus a signed/numbered hardcover limited and a deluxe state of 75 copies with an original painting bound in. Color-printed title page marks the first printing; no statement of later printings. Black Sparrow US (1977) is the true first. State hierarchy: lettered > numbered signed limited > cloth > wraps. Verify the colophon for limited/signed states. Not a book club. Distinguish the states via the colophon; the trade printing differs from the signed limited in binding and paper.
• Women — 1978 · Black Sparrow PressNovel. Issued in trade paperback wrappers and a trade hardcover of 500 unnumbered copies, plus a signed/numbered hardcover limited of 300 copies (blue cloth backstrip over printed paper boards, spine label, acetate jacket) and a signed deluxe state of 91 copies with an original painting tipped in. Color-printed title page marks the first printing; no statement of later printings. True first is the 1978 Black Sparrow issue; the 300 signed/numbered hardcovers and the 91-copy artwork state are the limited states. No book club edition.
• Play the Piano Drunk Like a Percussion Instrument Until the Fingers Begin to Bleed a Bit — 1979 · Black Sparrow PressIssued in the usual Black Sparrow multi-tier format: a trade paperback in wrappers, a trade hardcover in cloth, a signed and numbered limited hardcover (about 300 copies in decorated boards with acetate), and a signed deluxe issue of about 100 copies with a signed silkscreen print bound in. First-issue points: color title page and no statement of later printing on the copyright page. The 1979 Black Sparrow edition is the true first; the signed numbered and deluxe hardcover issues are the premium states. No book club edition; Black Sparrow did not issue book club printings.
• Shakespeare Never Did This — 1979 · City Lights BooksOblong quarto, travel prose with photographs by Michael Montfort. The 1979 City Lights first was issued both as a hardcover bound in black cloth with gilt spine lettering (roughly 300 copies, in dust jacket) and in stiff paper wrappers, first printing with no later-printing statement. An expanded edition followed in 1995. The 1979 City Lights edition is the true first (first US and first overall). Copies signed by both Bukowski and Montfort are the most desirable. No book club edition.
• Dangling in the Tournefortia — 1981 · Black Sparrow PressStandard Black Sparrow issue structure: a trade paperback in wrappers, a trade hardcover in navy cloth with acetate jacket (about 750 copies), a signed and numbered limited (about 350 copies in illustrated boards with cloth backstrip and spine label), and a signed deluxe issue of about 100 copies with an original painting bound in. First-issue points: color title page and no later-printing statement on the…. The 1981 Black Sparrow edition is the true first; signed numbered and deluxe copies are the premium states. No book club edition.
• Ham on Rye — 1982 · Black Sparrow PressAutobiographical novel. Standard Black Sparrow structure: a trade paperback in wrappers, a trade hardcover in cloth (about 750 copies), a signed and numbered limited (about 350 copies in quarter goldenrod cloth over pictorial boards, paper spine label, acetate jacket), and a signed deluxe issue of about 100 copies with an original painting bound in. First-issue points: color (two-color) title page and no…. The 1982 Black Sparrow edition is the true first; the signed numbered and deluxe issues are the premium states. No book club edition.
• Hot Water Music — 1983 · Black Sparrow PressStory collection. Standard Black Sparrow structure: a trade paperback in wrappers (about 750 copies), a trade hardcover in cloth, a signed and numbered limited (about 400 copies in quarter black cloth over printed boards with acetate), and a signed deluxe lettered issue of about 100 copies with an original painting bound in. First-issue points: color title page and no later-printing statement on the copyright page. The 1983 Black Sparrow edition is the true first; the signed numbered and deluxe lettered issues are the premium states. No book club edition.
• War All the Time: Poems 1981-1984 — 1984 · Black Sparrow PressStandard Black Sparrow structure: a trade paperback in wrappers, a trade hardcover in cloth, a signed and numbered limited (about 400 copies in khaki boards over blue cloth with spine label and acetate jacket), and a signed deluxe issue with an original painting bound in. First-issue points: color title page and no later-printing statement on the copyright page. The 1984 Black Sparrow edition is the true first; signed numbered and deluxe copies are the premium states. No book club edition.
• You Get So Alone at Times That It Just Makes Sense — 1986 · Black Sparrow PressBlack Sparrow Press, Santa Rosa, 1986. The collectible first is the trade hardcover (paper-covered boards with acetate dustjacket), issued alongside a signed and numbered limited issue and a smaller deluxe issue hand-bound by Earle Gray with an original signed Bukowski silkscreen print bound in. A softcover in illustrated wraps also exists. Title page printed in more than one color; no statement of later printing…. True first is the 1986 Black Sparrow Press edition. The signed and numbered and deluxe hand-bound issues are the scarcer states. No book club edition; Black Sparrow was a small literary press.
• The Movie: 'Barfly' — 1987 · Black Sparrow PressBlack Sparrow Press, Santa Rosa, August 1987. Original screenplay illustrated with black-and-white photographs. The collectible first is the trade hardcover in decorated paper-covered boards (pictorial image of the film's principals) with clear acetate dustjacket, issued alongside a signed and numbered limited issue signed by Bukowski and film principals, and a deluxe hand-bound issue. Krumhansl 103. No statement…. True first is the 1987 Black Sparrow Press edition. Signed and numbered and deluxe issues are the scarcer states. No book club edition; Black Sparrow was a small literary press.
• Hollywood — 1989 · Black Sparrow PressBlack Sparrow Press, Santa Rosa, 1989. Novel. The collectible first is the trade hardcover, quarter cloth over decorated paper-covered boards (John Register cocktail-glass-and-sunset design) with acetate dustjacket; roughly 1,000 trade hardcover copies. Also issued as a signed and numbered limited (about 500 copies) and a deluxe hand-bound issue with an original signed silkscreen print. Two-color title page; no…. True first is the 1989 Black Sparrow Press edition. Signed and numbered and deluxe issues are the scarcer states. No book club edition; Black Sparrow was a small literary press.
• Septuagenarian Stew: Stories & Poems — 1990 · Black Sparrow PressBlack Sparrow Press, Santa Rosa, 1990. Stories and poems. The collectible first is the trade hardcover, paper-covered boards with royal-blue cloth backstrip and spine label, in acetate dustjacket; roughly 1,000 trade hardcover copies. Also issued as a signed and numbered limited and a deluxe hand-bound issue by Earle Gray with an original signed and dated Bukowski silkscreen print bound in. A softcover in…. True first is the 1990 Black Sparrow Press edition. Signed and numbered and deluxe issues are the scarcer states. No book club edition; Black Sparrow was a small literary press.
• The Last Night of the Earth Poems — 1992 · Black Sparrow PressBlack Sparrow Press, Santa Rosa, 1992. Poems. The collectible first is the trade hardcover with acetate dustjacket, issued alongside a signed and numbered limited issue (about 750 signed and numbered copies) and a deluxe hand-bound issue with an original signed silkscreen print bound in front. Title page printed in more than one color; no statement of later printing on the copyright page of the first. True first is the 1992 Black Sparrow Press edition; the last poetry collection published in Bukowski's lifetime. Signed and numbered and deluxe issues are the scarcer states. No book club edition; Black Sparrow was a small literary press.
• Pulp — 1994 · Black Sparrow PressBlack Sparrow Press, Santa Rosa, 1994. Bukowski's last novel, published posthumously. The collectible first is the trade hardcover, quarter black cloth over decorated paper boards, red spine label and red endpapers, in clear acetate dustwrapper; two-color title page (red and black). Also issued as a signed and numbered limited (about 750 signed copies, signed on a tipped-in sheet following the copyright page) and…. True first is the 1994 Black Sparrow Press edition. Signed and numbered and deluxe issues are the scarcer states. No book club edition; Black Sparrow was a small literary press.

More Poetry, Beat & Drama shelves: Charlotte Perkins Gilman (credited as Charlotte Perkins Stetson), Claude McKay, David Hare, David Mamet, Derek Walcott, Diane di Prima.

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