Blume, Anna

Leviathan

London, England: The Wooden Shoe, 1967. Limited First Edition. Chapbook in Stiff Wrappers. Signed and numbered by Anna Blume. A beautifully-crafted, hand-printed art book by Anna Blume, an anarchist involved with the short-lived but influential Wooden Shoe bookshop and press in London. The store was only open about a year and was affiliated with Albert Meltzer, a contributor to anarchist paper Freedom and co-founder of the newspaper Black Flag who helped in the founding of the Kate Sharpley Library (from whom we learned of Blume). As Meltzer says in his autobiography: “Before Ted (Kavanagh) and Anna closed down with a cryptic note saying “Gone fishing” there were a few far-reaching events. As a meeting place rather than as a bookshop, it influenced the beginnings of new squatting movement, created a least a diversion on the anti-Vietnam War movement and led to the black flag flying over the barricades in Paris. Not bad for an under-capitalised, mismanaged and loss-making bookshop that scarcely existed a year!” Blume’s piece offered here is a singular, painted poem, referencing foreboding ocean voyages and the Biblical sea serpent. At an informal colophon, indicating that it was printed at the Wooden Shoe on July 17, 1967, Blume has signed her name in pencil and written that this is number 4 in a printing of 12 copies, making this piece exceedingly rare. From the collection of Richard Cupidi (b. 1945), our esteemed friend in the UK who managed the fabled Unicorn Bookshop in Brighton, England with Bill Butler (1934-1977, the famed American-expatriate bookseller & publisher). From the late 1960s through the early 1970s, Unicorn proffered & published many outstanding productions by William S. Burroughs, J.G. Ballard et al., some of which have become the scarcest, all-but-unobtainable Beat-&-Beyond collectibles (see an example with our item no. 8217). After prevailing against censorious harassment efforts, Unicorn closed & Butler died in short order. Cupidi went on to found the Public House Bookshop in Brighton, which had a long & successful run but is also now closed, & he still resides there. We have been honored to obtain what Cupidi has termed "The Last Hurrah," all the remaining treasures of Unicorn & Public House, some of which have become the stuff of myth. Large-format chapbook in stiff wrappers: a limited, numbered, & signed First Edition, First Printing; Copy No. “4” in a print run of 12, as previously noted. In Very Good-Near Fine condition with moderate-to-significant shelf-wear to fine-edges, corners, & spine-edge of front, back covers; some chipping, bumping to same; moderate-to-pronounced age-typical yellowing-browning, toning & mild staining to front, back cover; extant small exhibits of nonuniform rubbing and a few horizontal creases to same; first leaf at interior separated from binding, but interior as a whole is gorgeous & unmarked. Very Good-Near Fine. [Item #8254]

Price: $375.00