Abel's book coming...

mjp

Founding member
never heard of Mr. Debritto...
If you've ever spent an hour (or three) going through the Unpublished and uncollected forum, or any of his thousands of other early forum posts, you've benefited from Mr. Debritto's research. Whether you've heard of him or not, it's not hard to see the breadth of his work, which is significant.


[And Roni beats me to the punch again. I really have to start reloading these threads before I respond.]
 

jddougher

Founding member
If you've ever spent an hour (or three) going through the Unpublished and uncollected forum, or any of his thousands of other early forum posts

I'm happy to say that I have not. I'm happy because, after a 20+-year hiatus from Bukowski, I have been on a six-month-or-so Bukowski binge, which has included acquiring most of his books that passed me by since 1987 or so. Plus I have re-acquired those books that I foolishly sold on eBay in the early 90s--Black Sparrow editions of most of the works up to that time.

So I've been reading Bukowski again. Delightful pursuit! Am reading Women now, and wonderfully, also reading, simultaneously, Bukowski's letters, Scarlet, Ms. King's work, and other things that relate to Women. It's so fascinating and enjoyable to be piecing together the events of this man's life from the viewpoints of those who participated in them.

I'm not sure where my current readings are going to take me, but I suspect I'm going to want to answer some questions that aren't answered by the books in existence. And that must be how an end begets a beginning.
 

Ponder

"So fuck Doubleday Doran"
RIP
I closed my eyes and....x~O

I ordered the book. I sweat and I stink.
Curious how the book smells like.
 
if you still have doubts of those other golden
times
there were other curious creatures: Richard
Aldington, Teddy Dreiser, F. Scott, Hart Crane, Wyndham
Lewis, the
Black Sun Press.
This is a tad off topic but when I first started collecting I was so impressed with a catalog I got in 1966 that I still have it. I wish that the sellers of today could have put the equal time and effort into Bukowski's body of work. Howard Woolmer was the dealer and it was titled A Catalogue of The Imagist Poets.

Of its 72 pages 53 contained essays by Wallace Martin and Ian Fletcher. Martin's essay "The Forgotten School of 1909 and the Origins of Imagism" was followed by Fletcher's " Some Anticipations of Imagism".
The 18 pages of books and periodicals for sale followed. I purchased 2 early issues of Poetry with poems and articles by old Ezra for $12.50.

After saying these noble words about this great catalogue I am working on putting out a piece of you know what to be titled "The Last Great Mimeo Catalogue of the House of Books". In it will be all the jetsam of my 52 years of book collecting.

Sadly it will contain no high falloutin essays.
 
Finished reading King Of The Underground today.

Pretty interesting if you want to know about Buk's mania for writing and his relationship with literary magazines.
 

cirerita

Founding member
Looks like the paperback edition of King of the Underground will be out soon.
ir


$35 is a lot of dough for a paperback, but I'm sure it will be more reasonably priced within a month or two.
 

mjp

Founding member
"A critical study of literary magazines, underground newspapers, and small press publications"? I get sleepy just typing that.
Yes, I said that, and I was very wrong.

It's a great book (not for the find what you love and let it kill you crowd, but for anyone who's really interested in the man and his early work/mania) and obviously the result of an unimaginable amount of work.

Now that it will be in paperback you don't have any more excuses. Go buy it. Pre-order it and wait by the mailbox.
 

Pogue Mahone

Officials say drugs may have played a part
I finally found a hardback for under $60 two days ago and ordered it. Oh well, very interested in the early period and can't wait to read it.
 

zobraks

Moderator
I've been waiting for the paperback edition for quite a while so I guess I can wait some more time for an inexpensive* copy.

*A book like this can never be called "cheap."
 
I forgot to link my discussion of this book in my general Bukowski review, which can be found here:

http://www.spiked-online.com/newsit...ortion-of-a-dissident-poet/17405#.VyfMJ_ldU5k

I couldn't give Abel's book the space it deserved. It is very informative about Buk's early attitude to writing.

Something weird happened with the text that got published on Spiked. The weird sentence should actually be:
"Some magazine appearances are so rare that Debritto notes that all copies of the publications seem to have disappeared and would command a fortune at auction if ever discovered - quite a turnaround for an outsider author driven by an unquenchable desire to see his words in print." I don't know why the sub-ed screwed around with that sentence. Guess I should be glad he didn't change Buk's sexual organs.
 

Hosh

hoshomccreesh.com
Or change the material meaning and intent of your work without your knowledge or say-so by, I don't know, cutting references to alcohol and madness, or changing words, and sentences, and stanzas...
 

Pogue Mahone

Officials say drugs may have played a part
This book is brilliant. I wish there was a little more detail about the early Bukowski "books," but Abel more than makes up for it with the details around Bukowski's quest for publication before 1970. In addition tracking down Bukowski's early publications, he provides a very interesting narrative on Bukowski's drive to get published at all costs.

I think this book is as important as Krumhansl and Dorbin.

So, from this point forward, I will refer to him as Debritto.

And I will hug him and pet him and squeeze him...and pat him and pet him ...and rub him and caress him and...

[This video is unavailable.]
 

zobraks

Moderator
If only The Book Depository had the book... *sigh*
(I mean a paperback.)

Edit: Hey, they have it*!!!
But the price (43 €**) still isn't quite right for me. :fog:
*it wasn't there two days ago, the last time I checked
** perhaps it's signed by Bukowski :p
 
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Wouldn't it be great to own a book signed by "one of Hank's closest friends for 30 years" (quote from John Martin)?
Sometimes close friends turn out to be assholes, but anyway...
 
I'm not sure what the legality or royalty issues are with respect to print on demand copies, but they don't strike me as terribly friendly to the folks who actually put the work in on these books. I have no dog in the fight, but I'm wondering how legit these are.
 

Bukfan

"The law is wrong; I am right"
When I click on the link to The Book Depository it gives me the price in DKK (Danish kroner) and that's 280,37 DKK which is the same as 37,64 Euro (thank you Google). That's not too steep a price, I think, and it's with shipping included. It's certainly much cheaper than when the book came out. The only downside for me personally is that The Book Depository adds 25% VAT which they collect on behalf of the Danish state and then the price is 47.06 Euro. But for the rest of you who don't live in a country that puts a 25% VAT on books 37.64 Euro inc. shipping should be an acceptable price.
 
I read and enjoyed the book he edited to do with Buk "On Writing", so I'll keep an eye out for this when it's in my local library or when it becomes dirt cheap online.
 
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