Various (Mills, Brian (Editor) et al.)

The Dreamer No. 2 (May 1970)

Derby, England UK: Brian Mills, 1970. Limited First Edition. Loose Sheets. Signed by Brian Mills. "In the dreamer's dream, the dreamed one awoke (J.L. Borges)" (front cover). This is the second number of the Dada-Surrealism-inspired literary/collage-art journal edited & published by acclaimed British television director Brian Mills (1933-2006). With hand-colored front cover image, & vintage circa-Victorian era collaged images, texts throughout. The juxtapositioning & mixture of disparate images & texts were practiced by Mills' predecessors in the Dadaist & Surrealist movements including Max Ernst (1891-1976) et al., & were a precursor to William S. Burroughs' (1914-1997) cut-up works. This issue is the second of a complete run of the short-lived but legendary series of The Dreamer (The first six issues of which are presented in today's new arrivals. See Item No.s 8926, 8928, 8932 et al.) From the collection of Richard Cupidi (b. 1945), our esteemed mate 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 poet, bookseller & publisher). From the late 1960s through the early 1970s, Unicorn proffered & published many outstanding productions by WSB, 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 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 now also closed, & he still resides there. We have been privileged to obtain what Cupidi has termed "The Last Hurrah," all the remaining gems of Unicorn & Public House, including this. Third Mind Books proceeds to reverently curate & incrementally present the Butler-Cupidi-Unicorn-Public House legacy that is in our custodial hands- until it passes to yours. Loose sheets folded vertically, one of 100 copies hand-numbered & signed in charcoal black ink by Mills at lower rear cover colophon, this is copy No. 63/100. A delicately beautiful production; a most-scarce & influential collectible in its singularly rarest contemporary form with the most distinguished & relevant provenance, greatly enriched by the editor's handwritten signature & numbering. In relatively quite very fine condition with only slight rubbing, faint scratching, light age-toning, occasional spotting & short, faint creasing to front, back covers & spine; a touch of wear & a few tiny bumps, creases at/from edges & corners of same; very slight rubbing, age-toning to edges of text block. Interior very fine with only a bit of age-toning to inner covers & page leaves (chiefly at blank margins/edges); miniscule bumps at corners of some leaves. Very Fine. [Item #8930]

Price: $50.00