Burroughs, William S.

Junky

ISBN: 0140043519
New York, NY, USA: Penguin, 1977. First Edition Thus. Softcover. "Here is the first complete and unexpurgated edition of one of the most powerful books ever written about drug addiction. Following its hero from his Midwestern birthplace to New York, New Orleans, And Mexico City, Junky depicts the addict's life—his hallucinations, his ghostly nocturnal wanderings, his strange sexuality, his hunger for the needle. Above all, these searing pages present a shocking demonstration of the junk equation: "Junk is not, like alcohol or weed, a means to increased enjoyment of life. Junk is not a kick. It is a way of life." (back cover) The foundational, first published work of William S. Burroughs—Founding Father of the Beat Generation-&-Beyond, among the Greatest & most influential literary & cultural figures of all time, the very Patron-Icon of our enterprise—first appeared as a garishly illustrated pulp paperback with the title Junkie: Confessions of an Unredeemed Drug Addict under the pen name "William Lee," combined with the forgettable memoir Narcotic Agent during 1953- now an iconic WSB collectible (see our item No. 4716). After various incarnations issued in the wake of interest in WSB following his breakthrough Naked Lunch, the edition offered here was first published in 1977, "The first complete/ and unexpurgated edition, originally/ published as Junkie under the pen name William Lee." (front cover). With a wonderfully insightful insider's Introduction by Allen Ginsberg, WSB's Fellow Founding Father of the Beat Generation. Mass market-format softcover original, first edition thus, first printing though not specifically indicated as such at copyright page, "Published in Penguin Books 1977" as stated thereon. Shoaf, Section I, No. 37, pg. 44; Schottlaender (new 5.0 edition!), A1(F), pg. 1. The first and foremost (in the opinion of this writer who has all-but-memorized its contents) collectible in the WSB canon, in the first & rarest edition thus of its complete & unexpurgated form. See also our item No.s 5805, 6403. In relatively quite especially fine-verging-on-very-fine condition with only very slight rubbing, faint scratching & a touch of browning to front, back covers & spine; light wear & some tiny bumps, creases at edges & corners of same; mild rubbing, browning to edges of text block. Interior fine-to-very-fine with mild-to-moderate browning to blank inner covers & page leaves (the latter chiefly at blank margins/edges & altogether inevitable with older mass market-quality paper stock); tiny bumps at corners of some leaves incl. several leaves with tiny chips at upper corners with miniscule loss of paper. Fine- Very Fine. [Item #6586]

Price: $100.00