Dowden, George (Ginsberg, Allen; Cupidi, Richard)

A Bibliography of works by Allen Ginsberg October, 1943 to July 1, 1967

San Francisco, CA: City Lights Books, 1971. First Edition. Hardcover. Signed, inscribed, placed & dated by Allen Ginsberg to Richard Cupidi. "This bibliography of the works of Allen Ginsberg up to July 1, 1967, including addenda up to 1969, is a comprehensive record of the publication of Ginsberg's writing throughout the world. Listing monographs, booklets, pamphlets, contributions to books, posters, anthologies and magazines, records and tapes, films, paintings, drawings, etc., it provides unique access to primary source material. It chronicles the movement of Ginsberg's poetry through the American scene during the past 25 years, documenting his singular role as major beat hip catalyst in American poetry since World War II." The classic early bibliography of works by Allen Ginsberg (1926-1997), Founding Father of the Beat Generation-&-Beyond, by George Dowden (1932-2014), an American-expatriate poet, scholar & academician who shunned recognition & firmly belongs in our Pantheon of "The Prolific & Underappreciated" (see our good friend Gerald Nicosia's excellent biographical article on Dowden at prrb.ca/articles/issue 23-dowden.htm). With a a Foreword & flap copy by Ginsberg; Chronology & Index by Laurence McGilvery, the venerable American bookseller & curator. Hardcover in unclipped dust jacket, first edition, first printing with all points in Cook, No. 90, pgs. 95-96; Morgan, B79, pg. 144. Per Cook's entry, "According to publisher's records, this title was not reprinted" after this first-&-only printing of 2500 copies. Appropriately, this is a production of Lawrence Ferlinghetti's City Lights imprint, whose Pocket Poets Series first published Ginsberg's breakthrough "Howl & Other Poems" and many subsequent canonical Ginsberg collections. At title page, between his printed name & publisher's device, Ginsberg has hand-signed, written, placed & dated in bold black ink: "(signed) Allen Ginsberg/ for Richard Cupidi, Brighton/ November 16, 1979." Richard Cupidi (b. 1945), our esteemed mate in the UK, was the manager of the fabled Unicorn Bookshop in Brighton, England founded by Bill Butler (1934-1977, the famed American-expatriate poet, 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 very scarcest, all-but-unobtainable Beat-&-Beyond collectibles (see for example our item No.s 8217, 8366). 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 which is also now closed, & he still resides there. Interestingly, per Nicosia's article, Dowden spent his last years in Brighton, where he & Cupidi were undoubtedly acquaintances. We have been honored to obtain what Cupidi has termed "The Last Hurrah," all of the remaining gems of Unicorn & Public House such as this. Third Mind Books proceeds to reverently curate & incrementally present the Butler-Cupidi-Unicorn-Public House Legacy which is in our custodial hands- until it passes to yours. An essential, indeed indispensable Ginsberg-related resource (we consult a copy ourselves for our earlier Ginsberg collectible offerings) in its singularly rarest contemporary form; deeply enriched by Ginsberg's signature & inscription to Cupidi & with most-distinguished, relevant, resonant association & provenance. Book in relatively quite fine-to-very-fine condition with very slight wear & a few tiny bumps, creases at edges & corners of front, back covers & spine; light rubbing, age-toning & occasional spotting to edges of text block. Interior fine-to-very-fine with light age-toning to blank paste-downs, endpapers & page leaves (the latter chiefly at blank margins/edges); miniscule bumps at corners of a few leaves. Dust jacket (again relatively) near-fine-to-fine with mild rubbing, mostly faint scratching, a touch of age-toning esp. from edges, corners & occasional spotting to front, back covers, spine & flaps; mild wear & some tiny bumps, creases at/from edges & corners of same; several short, mostly closed tears, chips esp. from front cover/flap corners & nearest edges, rear cover/flap edge & corners. Fine-Very Fine / Near Fine- Fine. [Item #8626]

Price: $100.00 save 15% $85.00