Nuttall, Jeff

Songs Sacred and Profane

n/p (London, England UK?): Jeff Nuttall, c. 1965. First Edition. Stapled Wrappers. "SACRED/ These poems are one/ man's attempt to acknowledge/ the Divine in what happens/ around and within him/ during these last days of the species." (preamble-incantation, recto first leaf, pg. 1) An early collection of poems by Jeff Nuttall (1933-2004), the poet, publisher & Jazz musician who was a legendarily larger-than-life figure in the british 1960s counterculture. For our Third Mind Burroughsian purposes, Nuttall is most notable to us for his mid-1960s My Own Mag series which he edited, published & contributed to, & which featured works by canonical Beat-&-Beyond authors- most especially William S. Burroughs (1914-1997), the Great Founding Father of the Beat Generation-&-Beyond who is the very Patron-Icon of our enterprise (see our item No. 8207). A self-published, undated production that we surmise was created circa 1965 or thereabouts, our clue being a reference to some of the poems herein having been published in My Own Mag at recto first leaf (pg. 1). Dynamic, evocative, uninhibited & in this case somewhat apocalyptic (see quote above), these poems are clearly influenced & inspired at least in part by Nuttall's Canonical Mentor WSB, apparently contemporaneous with the height of their collaboration. Chapbook in stapled wrappers, first edition, first-&-presumably-only printing of unknown quantity, complete with errata slip affixed to otherwise blank verso of final leaf before rear endpaper. 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, Nuttall 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 also now closed, & he still resides there. We have been privileged to obtain what Cupidi has termed "The Last Hurrah," all the remaining gems from 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. An essential & exemplary Nuttall collectible in its singular, especially rare contemporary form; with most-distinguished, relevant association & provenance. In relatively quite fine condition with mild rubbing, very slight fading, faint scratching & light age-toning, age-related spotting to front, back covers & stapled spine; a bit of wear & some tiny bumps, creases at edges & corners of same; mild rubbing, age-toning & spotting to edges of text block. Interior fine-to-very-fine with only Unicorn's hand-notation of price in British currency in pencil at upper right margin of recto first leaf (a quaint relic of its heritage we have retained); one very small spot from mid-outer edge of same; slight leakage of glue from affixing of errata slip onto recto of final leaf before rear endpaper (pg. 39); a hint of age-toning to page leaves, chiefly at blank margins-edges; tiny bumps at corners of some leaves. Fine. [Item #8994]

Price: $100.00