n.p.: Privately published, ca. 1987-1988.
BASQUIAT, Jean-Michel & INMAN, Kelle. The image captures Basquiat asleep on his side, showing primarily his head and face, shoulders, and naked torso down to his waist. An intimate photo by Kelle who was with Basquiat during the final two years of his life. This photo comes from her personal archive (that was dispersed long ago upon her death). Her relationship with Basquiat, and her estate that included items relating to their relationship, are well documented. Fine (4" x 4"). Unique.- $7,500
- $7,500
Like Crazy, Man.
GEIS, Richard. First edition of this Paperback Original. One of the all-time classic beatnik exploitation novels, with a terrific Robert Bonfils cover illustration featuring a sexy beatnik temptress playing bongos in the foreground as Ted Joans reads poetry in the beatnik coffee house they're in. The inspiration for Bonfils illustration was a photo published in Holiday magazine of Ted Joans reading in the notorious Cafe Bizarre in Greenwich Village (who also used this photo on a promotional postcard they issued). "From the 'square' world of advertising Jeff Ackerman becomes lost in the beatnik world of mixed-up talk, mixed-up living, and mixed-up people. He sees life at its rawest when he attends an orgy in a beatnik's pad." A fine, fresh copy. Scarce, especially in this condition.- $350
- $350
Artchie Strips: Andy Warhol in the Factory / Jane Fonda in the Max’s Episode / Rolling Stones in the Metropolis.
ARTCHIE, WARHOL, Andy, JAGGER, Mick; & FONDA, Jane. 4to. Photographic comic book in stapled pictorial wraps. First and only edition. Cover features a collage by Artchie of Mick Jagger hitchhiking while floating in outer space, with the entire book devoted to Artchie's drawings and photo-collages. Artchie was an elusive figure in the Factory orbit. It appears he was Archie Dukeshire, short-lived husband of Jackie Curtis who was also featured in her play "Vain Victory" in 1971, and who reportedly died in a scuba accident shortly thereafter. The first of the three "strips" is set in Warhol's Factory where Warhol and Brigid Berlin are featured prominently. The sequence opens with Artchie riding the Staten Island Ferry musing to himself when he gets the inspiration to use telepathy to transport himself to "a loft known as the Factory pulse central of the Andy Warhol World---what's ever happening that day---talk interviews super stars screening of movies and general nonsense.Any way I am here with my camera & tape." The story continues with Artchie meeting Brigid Berlin and Andy Warhol who, camera in hand, says "Why don't you get nude and I'll take some photos of you." Artchie then documents, utilizing photo-collage, the escapades surrounding Andy's Polaroid photo shoot involving Gerard Malanga, Bridgid Polk, and Artchie himself in various scenarios that evolve into a montage of nude photos of Artchie and Brigid. The second strip is devoted to Jane Fonda's visit to Max's Kansas City and features photos of her, Roger Vadim, Candy Darling (Warhol Superstar), and Eric Love in the famous back room at Max's. The final section is devoted to the Rolling Stones, revealing them in conversation at their Plaza Hotel suite and backstage at Madison Square Garden before their concert there, including photos of them on stage. A charming, entertaining, and little-known Warhol-related publication with a distinct DIY vibe, reflecting the Factory scene and the NYC avant-garde of the period. Long corner crease to front cover, both sides show some handling impressions and some modest wear and creasing, the pages are perfect, very good. Rare. No copies on OCLC and the only other copy we handled was 15 years ago.- $1,250
- $1,250
Flyer announcing WORLD THEATRE at the Cafe Au Go Go in Greenwich Village, 1965.
WARHOL, Andy & ONO, Yoko. "Experimental Music & Dance & Theatre Works" by Andy Warhol, Dick Higgins, Al Hansen, Yoko Ono, Nam June Paik, Christo, Wolf Vostell, Charlotte Moorman, Diter Rot, and others. Printed in black on white stock. An ephemeral item featuring a who's who of the NYC Fluxus scene performing at this popular Village venue for music and more. Fine (8.5" x 5.5").- $175
- $175
Americans and Mushrooms in a Naturalistic Environment: A Preliminary Report.
LEARY, Timothy; LITTWIN, George; & METZNER, Ralph. 4to. 10-page document mimeographed in purple ink, signed by Timothy Leary at top of first page, stapled at top left corner. First and only printing of this paper limited to "not more than 100 copies" for distribution by the authors. The earliest known report on the groundbreaking research into magic mushrooms by Leary and the Harvard Psilocybin Project, an important precursor to the Psychedelic Revolution that began a few years later. When a 1957 issue of Life magazine published Gordon Wasson's account of the mind-altering properties of the magic mushrooms he discovered in Mexico it piqued Leary's interest. Shortly after he was hired by Harvard in 1959 to conduct doctoral research in the Psychology Department's Center for Research in Personality Leary went to Mexico and tried the mushrooms firsthand. Upon his return he and Richard Alpert established the Harvard Psilocybin Project, the first research where the drug was given in "comfortable home-like surroundings" rather than a clinical setting, often with Leary and Alpert taking the drug along with the students. The majority of the participants reported "pleasant, educational, and even life-changing experiences," and Leary's mushroom experiments went on to include Ginsberg, Kerouac, Burroughs, Huxley, Watts, and many other artists and musicians (before Leary was expelled from the university). The beginning of the worldwide cultural change brought about by the Psychedelic Revolution and the burgeoning hippie subculture can be traced to this paper. Published a couple of years before the Acid Tests and before Leary's experimentation with LSD (a drug that would remain legal for another four years). Fine. Very rare, the only copy we've encountered and OCLC turns up just one copy, appropriately enough, at Harvard University.- $4,000
- $4,000
Love Poem.
BRAUTIGAN, Richard. 4to. Broadside poem. Facsimile piracy mimeoed in purple ink. This broadside was originally published by the Communication Company in the Haight-Ashbury during the "Summer of Love." This came from Brautigan's personal archive where it had been for many years so we're guessing this was done roughly contemporaneous with the original. Very fine.- $150
- $150
Hell’s Angels: The Wild Breed, Vol. 1, No. 1, 1966.
The Editors. Counterculture exploitation magazine with an emphasis on the Hell's Angels featuring a "Hell's Angels Special Inside Report" with photos and a glossary of Hell's Angels slang. Also includes articles such as "Escapism with So-called Wonder Drugs" (LSD), "Sunset Strip Gone Crazy," plus the requisite amount of photos of naked or scantilly-clad hippie women, various "kooks," and other members of the "Wild Breed!" Although labeled Vol. 1, No. 1 we strongly suspect this was a one-shot publication, and an early example of the hippie exploitation genre that became popular a couple of years later. Price sticker to corner of front cover, else very near fine (faint musty smell).- $225
- $225
Postcard issued by Cafe Bizarre in Greenwich Village.
ALLMAN, Rick & JOANS, Ted. Postcard featuring a color photo of poet Ted Joans reading at the Cafe Bizarre with patrons sitting at tables in the background and colorful abstract art painted on the walls. This photo was published in the October issue of Holiday magazine, and it also served as the source material for the cover art of Richard Geis' beatnik novel "Like Crazy, Man." On the back is printed the Cafe Bizarre logo with spooky lettering announcing: "Poetry readings nitely by the Beat & the Unbeat. Be prepared for the unexpected." One of the most popular and sensational clubs to capitalize on the beatnik phenomenon, the Cafe Bizarre presented poetry readings, folk and rock music, and "assorted madness" for tourists and genuine bohemians and artists alike. Musitron Records recorded an album there that captured the bongo-beating, finger-snapping beatnik spirit of this venue. In the '60s Andy Warhol first discovered the Velvet Underground playing there billed as "The Velvets." Very near fine. One of the scarcest of the various ephemeral items from this beatnick venue in the Village.- $175
- $175
Fantasic Stories of the Imagination, January 1962.
GARRETT, Randall & GARDNER, Erle Stanley. A sci-fi mag with a terrific, humorous cover illustration based on Randall Garrett's featured story "The Hepcats of Venus." It shows two shade-wearing, cigarette-smoking beatniks at a table in Venus Club watching two aliens exuberantly play strange instruments that are parts of their bodies. Also includes a story by Erle Stanley Gardner. Fine.- $25
- $25
Painting Now.
BASQUIAT, Jean-Michel. 4to. Catalog from this group show including Basquiat, Francesco Clemente, Julian Schnabel, and others. This copy is signed twice by Basquiat---once on the front free endpaper dated 1986, and again above one of his plates in the book where he added the date and "Denis," the name of the recipient. Fine.- $4,500
- $4,500
1st International Psychedelic Exposition.
LEARY, Timothy & KLEPS, Art. Pamphlet. First edition. Program for this little-known but significant hippie convocation held over five days at, believe it or not, the Forest Hills Country Club. The club allowed their grounds to be used for the building of an expansive hippie enclave with teepees, exhibits, and booths set up for the purpose of introducing and disseminating hippie crafts and psychedelic culture to the general public. The program features a long text outlining the goals of the exposition: "Certainly the Psychedelic manifesto of love and peace is a necessary and positive approach to the problems of our times.welcome to the happy, strange, wonderful, colorful, befuddling, changing, clashing, harmonious, happy world of psychedelics.listen to a flute, get high, turn on, tune in." Also announces the participation of various exhibitors and attendees including a text about each. The participants include: The League for Spiritual Discovery "whose commitment to the psychedelic communal experience has enabled them to suvive the rigors of several Millbrook winters," Art Kleps and The Neo-American Church, Peter Max, The Group Image (multimedia entertainment commune), Meher Baba, The Psychedelicatessen (famous early head shop), The Blue Dome (light show), Sri Ram Ashrama (Yoga community), Peter Stafford "who will play a tape of music and poetry and other material especially selected for people who are tripping," and hippie presidential candidate Louis Abolafia who's "looking for a running mate," among many others. A very hippiesque booklet with accomplished psychedelic illustrations printed with split fountain inks of various colors---a great zeitgeist item. Very good plus, faint dampmarking to bottom of back cover, not visible on the inside of the back cover, or on any pages. A thoroughly attractive copy of a charming hippie rarity.- $650
- $650
Ode to LA While Thinking of Brian Jones, Deceased.
MORRISON, Jim. 8vo. Single sheet of textured yellow paper printed in green ink, folded to make a 4-page leaflet. First edition. Morrison's poetic tribute to Brian Jones of The Rolling Stones who had just recently died under mysterious circumstances. This is the third of Morrison's four privately published works following The Lords: Notes on Vision and The New Creatures, also published the same year. Issued to be distributed as a free giveaway to attendees of two concerts by The Doors at the Aquarius Theatre in Hollywood on July 21, 1969. Reportedly the floor of the venue was strewn with discarded copies thus accounting for its rarity. We've handled this only once before in 35 years and OCLC turns up just one copy at Yale. Faint, soft vertical crease, else bright and very nice.- $2,500
- $2,500
Smudging: to smoke or to protect against frost (as an orchard) by means of smudge.
WAKOSKI, Diane. Broadside. First edition. One of 100 numbered copies signed by Wakoski. Published as Broadside/Flyer No. 1 that prints a poem and announces publication of the book. Printed in black and red on greenish stock. One faint horizontal crease, else fine.- $30
- $30
Greed: Parts 8, 9, 11.
WAKOSKI, Diane. Broadside. First edition. One of 100 numbered copies signed by Wakoski. Published as Broadside/Flyer No. 6 that prints a poem and announces publication of the book. Printed in black and purple on light blue paper. Couple of trivial handling impressions, else fine.- $30
- $30
Handmade mail art card by Wallace Berman.
BERMAN, Wallace. Affixed to the card is a small photo by Berman of a flower in silhouette against an abstract background probably a rain-blurred window. "Love from the Bermans" is printed above in red ink. Barely perceptible toning to one corner, else fine (4" x 3").- $1,750
- $1,750
Original mail art greeting card by Wallace Berman.
BERMAN, Wallace. Features a silver gelatin photograph of a rock painted with Hebrew letters. Underneath is printed in red ink: "Love Berman Topanga." Addressed by Berman and sent through the mail to friends in Beverly Hills. Small, light spot of toning to bottom edge, else fine (6.25" x 4").- $3,500
- $3,500
Handmade mail art card by Wallace Berman.
BERMAN, Wallace. Affixed to the card is Berman's self-portrait photograph of him and his son, Tosh holding their hands in the air as if playing "cowboys and indians" in a dilapidated corner of Berman's Semina Gallery in Larkspur. The same photo appears on the cover of Tosh Berman's memoir "Tosh: Growing Up in Wallace Berman's World." Around the photo Berman has written in bold orange marker: "Joan: Had a pleasant & comfortable time. Thank you. W." and on the back he's written: "Monty: Nan is handsome as some of the first world war airplanes or isadora [sic] Duncan or.", probably a reference to the child of his correspondent. Fine (4" x 3").- $2,500
- $2,500
Handmade mail art card by Wallace Berman.
BERMAN, Wallace. Affixed to the card is a small double exposed photo with the primary image being the head and torso of a Greek statue. Printed below in red ink is "love from the Bermans." Partial cancellation stamp from the post office and faint finger print to top edge, else fine (4" x 3").- $1,750
- $1,750