Buk archive at PBA auction - 4/26/07
- Thread starter nymark
- Start date
from letter to Neeli Cherry, May 10, 1970:
"then at Univ. of New Mexico, where I'm supposed to read Friday night [...] I'm going to read at 2 colleges in Washington."
(Living on Luck, p. 97)
from letter to Sanford Dorbin, June 1970:
"Took the train to UNM and read there [...] plane up to Washington where I read at West. Wash. State College that night, got drunk, insulted profs. got real sick drunk and awakened in an upstairs bedroom at 8:30 the next morning and told we had a long ride to Bellevue for a reading at 11:30 a.m. [...] started reading, dead sick, and the bastards put me on video tape."
(Living on Luck, p. 100)
from letter to Neeli Cherry, June 4, 1970:
"read within 2 weeks at Univ. of New Mexico, West Wash. State College and Bellevue Community College."
(Living on Luck, p. 101)
on the 'Bridge'-reading:
"When his friend Peter Edler invited him to read at The Bridge, a book store off Hollywood Boulevard, Bukowski said yes. The date was set as Friday 19 December, 1969 [...] The evening was such a success, Peter Elder invited Bukowski back the next night to do it all over again."
(Sounes: Locked in the arms, p. 102f)
So, being correct and counting 'The Bridge' as two, the 'Bellevue'-reading was at least his 5th!
"then at Univ. of New Mexico, where I'm supposed to read Friday night [...] I'm going to read at 2 colleges in Washington."
(Living on Luck, p. 97)
from letter to Sanford Dorbin, June 1970:
"Took the train to UNM and read there [...] plane up to Washington where I read at West. Wash. State College that night, got drunk, insulted profs. got real sick drunk and awakened in an upstairs bedroom at 8:30 the next morning and told we had a long ride to Bellevue for a reading at 11:30 a.m. [...] started reading, dead sick, and the bastards put me on video tape."
(Living on Luck, p. 100)
from letter to Neeli Cherry, June 4, 1970:
"read within 2 weeks at Univ. of New Mexico, West Wash. State College and Bellevue Community College."
(Living on Luck, p. 101)
on the 'Bridge'-reading:
"When his friend Peter Edler invited him to read at The Bridge, a book store off Hollywood Boulevard, Bukowski said yes. The date was set as Friday 19 December, 1969 [...] The evening was such a success, Peter Elder invited Bukowski back the next night to do it all over again."
(Sounes: Locked in the arms, p. 102f)
So, being correct and counting 'The Bridge' as two, the 'Bellevue'-reading was at least his 5th!
mjp
Founding member
That "within 2 weeks" wording doesn't exactly pin down the dates of the Washington readings, but I would think that makes them 5/29 and 5/30. Could have been 22 and 23rd, but it seems like he might describe two consecutive weekends in some way other than "within 2 weeks."
I dunno. I'm starting to feel like I'm debating how many angels can dance on the head of a pin. ;)
Buk's letters to Joan Babbage
Hi all - Just submitted my entry for the Joan Babbage archive, unpublished typed letters (once thought lost) by Bukowski (signed Buk or Hank), plus some art, photos and a Buk phone bill (ink drawings and note on it), etc., great content, all as a single lot in the May 24 literature auction, which will have other Buk stuff. Here's the link to the entry (already has photos):
http://www.pbagalleries.com/search/item.php?anr=170339
As you see at the end, I have the full Joan Babbage personal story of her 1975 visit with Buk and a more lengthy description (saved separately and available upon request); if anyone's interested just email me: tom@pbagalleries.com
Best, Tom
Hi all - Just submitted my entry for the Joan Babbage archive, unpublished typed letters (once thought lost) by Bukowski (signed Buk or Hank), plus some art, photos and a Buk phone bill (ink drawings and note on it), etc., great content, all as a single lot in the May 24 literature auction, which will have other Buk stuff. Here's the link to the entry (already has photos):
http://www.pbagalleries.com/search/item.php?anr=170339
As you see at the end, I have the full Joan Babbage personal story of her 1975 visit with Buk and a more lengthy description (saved separately and available upon request); if anyone's interested just email me: tom@pbagalleries.com
Best, Tom
mjp
Founding member
Interesting stuff, as usual. One of the letters and Joan's story are oddly familiar...I could swear I have read them both somewhere...maybe in this forum? ;)
mystery girl
Founding member
Hello guys. Guess I'll have to get a new member name. (Ha) Yes i got the mysterious joke. Now you know, so that's that. Tom has been so great...so, we'll carry on, won't we?
bospress.net
www.bospress.net
The auction closed and the seller seems to have gotten hosed.... With a couple exceptions, the books sold for far less than they were worth. I picked up one book that was worth about $350 for $170. Also, many books sold for less than half of what they should have sold for. Signed Lettered hardcovers with paintings going for $600 - $800.... I think that it was just too much alll at one time. Never a great idea to flood the market with so much quality material all at once. I think that the prices prove this.
The Linda King letters sold for $69,000 (including buyers fee), which baffles me.
I will spend tomorrow (while I'm on a plane to Cali) looking over the lots, line by line, but the results were not good. If I had more money, I would have done some real damage.
Bill
The Linda King letters sold for $69,000 (including buyers fee), which baffles me.
I will spend tomorrow (while I'm on a plane to Cali) looking over the lots, line by line, but the results were not good. If I had more money, I would have done some real damage.
Bill
mjp
Founding member
Yeah, I just about shit when I saw a copy of Dorbin with a Bukowski painting sold for $600!
It would have been a very good day to have an extra hundred grand or so lying around the house ($70k of which would have gone on the letters --- again, easy to say when you don't have a real $70k to part with).
It would have been a very good day to have an extra hundred grand or so lying around the house ($70k of which would have gone on the letters --- again, easy to say when you don't have a real $70k to part with).
Oh yeah! There were so many items that sold so cheap - or NOT AT ALL!
I sat there and just couldn't believe it!
Like most of us I didn't have the $$$ to really go into it. I picked ONE from the cataloque, decided to run for it - and was happy no other bidder was competing against me. (still it's about 3 months of my income.)
Will share it with you: http://www.bukowski-gesellschaft.de/div/Buk-painting_1983.jpg
I sat there and just couldn't believe it!
Like most of us I didn't have the $$$ to really go into it. I picked ONE from the cataloque, decided to run for it - and was happy no other bidder was competing against me. (still it's about 3 months of my income.)
Will share it with you: http://www.bukowski-gesellschaft.de/div/Buk-painting_1983.jpg
I would estimate that about 80% of these lots sold under estimate, but to be perfectly honest, I thought the estimates were wildly optimistic from the start, I'm not surprised. People seemed to be focusing on the big ticket items -- WOMEN with a painting for $9,200 -- so I was able to grab a lot of early little mag appearances. Got the copy of SPARROW -- so rare I've never seen one -- for only $100. Bill is only partially right about the seller being hosed. Even though these books didn't meet their estimates, I think it's safe to say that they sold well north of what he paid for them originally.
cirerita
Founding member
nymark,
you're dead right, I think. many early or rare mags sold for very reasonable prices, even cheaper than on eBay. you were certainly not the only one to grab those mags at a fair price. Lucky you!
back to the 1960 readings. an editor from the VERY EARLY 60's who shall remain nameless just told me this:
This was in 1962! It was not a Buk reading per se, but is clearly shows that Buk read in public well before 1969. And quite probably, this was not the only time he read his stuff before 1969.
you're dead right, I think. many early or rare mags sold for very reasonable prices, even cheaper than on eBay. you were certainly not the only one to grab those mags at a fair price. Lucky you!
back to the 1960 readings. an editor from the VERY EARLY 60's who shall remain nameless just told me this:
This was in 1962! It was not a Buk reading per se, but is clearly shows that Buk read in public well before 1969. And quite probably, this was not the only time he read his stuff before 1969.
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mjp
Founding member
Yeah, he probably read and discussed at the poetry workshop with FranceEye too, so we can add "didn't talk about poetry with other poets" to the dispelled myths list. ;)
But like you said, I wouldn't classify these as readings, per se. The 1950's reading that Mr. Barker alluded to was likely something along the same lines. I think it's safe to say that his "readings as performance" started at the Bridge in 1969.
But like you said, I wouldn't classify these as readings, per se. The 1950's reading that Mr. Barker alluded to was likely something along the same lines. I think it's safe to say that his "readings as performance" started at the Bridge in 1969.
Reports from the Bibliographic Bunker
http://realitystudio.org/bibliograp...kowski-and-the-ronan-sale-of-beat-literature/
http://realitystudio.org/bibliograp...kowski-and-the-ronan-sale-of-beat-literature/
bospress.net
www.bospress.net
I always assumed stnickl, but have no proof. I also heard a rumor that the buyer of the letters was going to publish them as a book, which would never, ever happen. If they bought them for that reason, they would have found that out too late....
Bill
Bill
Thanks, Bill.
Shit. Private collector.
Why no chance for publication? Too personal? Does someone (LK?) still retain the publication rights to them even though they've been sold? Not sure how it works. I just really want to read them. From the snippet given in the auction catalog it sounds like they're awesome. And important.
bospress.net
www.bospress.net
Bukowski's estate owns the right to his letters and they cannot be legally published without approval from the estate. Linda King owns the rights to her letters to Buk only.
also, I assume that they are in a private collection, but cannot confirm that. It is just a hunch.
Bill
also, I assume that they are in a private collection, but cannot confirm that. It is just a hunch.
Bill
Makes sense. Thanks for clarifying, Bill. I know it's just speculation, but do you think Linda Bukowski (who I assume is still the executor of the estate) would stop these from getting published? If so, why? I think there'd be a tremendous amount of interest in them. I know I'd sure buy a copy.
what a fuckin' surprise that a newbie would know about stnickl ! You must be very clever!