Your Rarest Buk Piece

[mjp]

Copy #1 of 2 by Bukowski with a full page inscription to Barbara Martin asking her when she's going to do away with John so they can be together. Below the inscription he drew a picture of Barbara pushing a spear through John's back. It protrudes from his chest and has some guts dripping off the tip.

I would love to see that.

 

[chronic]

Gracias.

 

[HenryChinaski]

whoa...never seen that. thanks

 

[RufusRJones]

To all of the owners: I dont have jack shit. Anyone selling ? Ken

 

[bospress.net]

I'm selling a copy of Bukowski first separate appearance, 20 Tanks From Kasseldown. It is a large broadside and was published in 1946.

Are you looking for rare books or reading copies? Someone can surely help you get set up.

Bill

 

[Jason]

To all of the owners: I dont have jack shit. Anyone selling ? Ken

What are you looking for? Are you interested in reading copies or rarities?

 

[HevyMinik]

None. I have the books so I can read them, not to look at them lying on the shelf. But that's just me :)
But I have an original pressing of the Danish translation of Factotum, "Alt Forefaldende Arbejde". You know the kind where the top of the pages are not cut, so you can't open them - No idea how to describe it otherwise. ..

 

[mjp]

I have the books so I can read them, not to look at them lying on the shelf.

That's because you're all man.

These pussies around here don't understand dudes like us.

Thumbs up indeed, bro.

 

[HevyMinik]

Well, don't get me wrong, mjp, I do kinda get it as I collect records myself. But the thing with collecting rare books, you probably gonna open it once to have a quick glance before you store it somewhere - Be it the shelf or a box up in the attic. But I guess you also buy the paperbacks, too, for the very same reason?
I guess that's why I prefer paperbacks mostly: I'm not gonna spend hundreds of dollars (or kroners!) on a book, so I can spill fluids and sticky food or whatever in the back of a tourbus somewhere :)

 

[skiroomalum]

Nothing too rare but each attained in a memorable way.
War All The Time w/painting
A Buk Sampler (cream wraps) peronalized to me w/a few drawings
poem from Ohio Review signed
An 8x5 signed Tragedy Of The Leaves
Funeral card

 

[bospress.net]

I would say that the book with a painting is pretty rare!

What is the 8x5 Tragedy of the Leaves? I don;t remember seeing that one...

Bill

 

[skiroomalum]

 

[bospress.net]

Is that something that Red Stodolsky made up? In 10 years of collecting, I have not seen that. Strange.

Bill

 

[mjp]

I've never seen that either. But then I'd never seen all those "rare" chapbooks that were on eBay recently either, so I suppose there are a lot of things out there that people made that we haven't seen.

 

[skiroomalum]

Sorry for the shitty image. My tech skills are non-existent. I did get that from Baroque I think in 1990. Probably a Red "special" like you figured Bill. No way it's a one-off but I haven't seen any others. There's at least an inch of space at the top and bottom that I failed to capture so it's bigger than 8x5.
Adam

 

[bospress.net]

Red usually made these things in editions of 25 or so and had Buk sign them.

 

[mjp]

[Commented redacted in the name of community peace.]

 

[DavidK]

My rarest pieces:

Dangling w/ painting
Hot Water Music w/ painting
EPOS w/ early inscription
Run With the Hunted (1962)
Not Quite Bernadette (special edition)
1944 Story Magazine w/ signature
Bukowski Photographs 1977-87, Lettered edition

Some of my favorite items are a bunch of letters to the Webbs from the mid and late 60s, though the rarest would be the "I got a hospital braclet of Hank's from 1994.... Not much else to add..." that's been posted on page1 of this thread.

 

[skiroomalum]

David, very cool stuff. May I ask where/when you picked up your copy of Run? That is my favorite work and I hope one day (but not today) to be able to afford one.
Adam

 

[DavidK]

Adam, got it on ebay not too long ago, for a very decent price as well. There's one on auction tomorrow, though I guess it would go for around $1,200-1,500+premium. Not a cheap piece, but as mjp mentioned somewhere, it seems even more difficult to find that Flower Fist and the lowest price you find on Abe is $2,200.

 

[roni]

1944 Story Magazine w/ signature

By "signature" you mean an original autograph by Mr. Henry Charles Bukowski jr??
Where'd you get THIS gem???

 

[DavidK]

Roni, got it from a rare book dealer about 3 years ago. Interestingly I got it for a price that today is being asked for unsigned copies although the market has rather gone down than up.

 

[roni]

Damn! How many of This one SIGNED may be out there?
One? Five?

Unless he got hold of a bigger run in much later years and signed them then. Under these conditions it could sure be a lot more. Still great!

 

[DavidK]

Definitely not many, that's for sure. The signature in the copy I have doesn't look old, definitely nowhere near 40s-60s. It's also not dated, like Bukowski often did in the early days (e.g. I have a copy of The Outsider #2, signed and dated in '67), so I guess it must be 70s or 80s. Don't have a scan or photo with me right now, otherwise I'd upload it for the more knowledgeable guys here to analyze.

Talking about Story, Scott Harrison once showed me a copy in outstanding condition that was inscribed to John Martin with the words "For John Martin, who found the the still struggling writer 24 years later". Unfortunately I couldn't afford it at the time, and he's sold it since then. Damn shame that.

Just looked up the conversation I had with Scott Harrison on the 'Story' topic back then. He thinks there's probably 10 or less signed copies and has never come across one that was definitely signed in the 40s or 50s.