Corso, Gregory

Bomb

San Francisco, CA: City Lights Books, 1958. First Edition. Folded Sheet. "Budger of history Brake of time You Bomb// Toy of universe Grandest of all snatched-sky I cannot hate you// Do I hate the mischievous thunderbolt the jawbone of an ass// The bumpy club of One Million B.C. the mace the flail the axe// Catapult Da Vinci tomahawk Cochise flintlock Kidd dagger Rathbone// Ah and the sad desperate gun of Verlaine Pushkin Dillinger Bogart// And hath not St. Michael a burning sword St. George a lance David a slling" (first seven lines) The classic poem by Gregory Corso (1930-2001), the great Primary Poet of the Beat Generation. We here present the first edition, first printing of Corso's deep & devastating yet compassionate indictment of humanity for its deadliest invention- the atomic bomb. Broadside folded into four sections, with recto of first side as title page, verso of fourth side as copyright page- & the text of the poem printed to resemble the menacing mushroom cloud that is the signature of an atomic explosion. With all points in Cook, No. 12, pg. 14, incl. twenty-five cent price at copyright page & "...the publisher's ad (thereon) for both Gasoline and The Vestal Lady On Brattle." From the collection of Richard Cupidi (b. 1945), our esteemed friend in the UK who was the manager of the fabled Unicorn Bookshop in Brighton, England founded by 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 for example our item No.s 8217, 8366). After prevailing against censorious harrassment 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 gems of Unicorn & Public House such as this. We at Third Mind Books are reverently curating & incrementally presenting the Butler-Cupidi-Unicorn-Public House Legacy that is in our custodial hands- until it passes to yours. An essential Corso collectible in its rarest contemporary form, with utmost distinguished & relevant provenance. This copy of the notoriously fragile & delicate Bomb is in relatively good-to-near-fine condition: Mild-to-moderate age-toning, mild rubbing, faint scratching & occasional spotting to all surfaces esp. margins/edges; slight wear & some tiny bumps, creases at edges & corners; closed tears at edges esp. left edge of front cover (but with each section still attached, the first however barely); signature of previous owner in black(?) ink just above title at upper right margin of title page. Good-Near Fine. [Item #8348]

Price: $125.00