{"title":"Allen Ginsberg","description":null,"products":[{"product_id":"ginsberg-allen-plutonian-ode-and-other-poems-1977-1980","title":"GINSBERG, Allen Plutonian Ode and Other Poems 1977-1980","description":"\u003cp\u003e\u003cstrong\u003eGINSBERG, Allen\u003c\/strong\u003e Plutonian Ode and Other Poems 1977-1980 \u003ci\u003eSan Francisco: City Lights Books, 1982.\u003c\/i\u003e\u003c\/p\u003e\n\u003cp\u003eSmall 4to. Publisher's red cloth, lettered in gilt to spine, clipped typographic dust jacket, yellow endpapers; pp. 111, [1(blank)]; light crease to hinges of dust jacket, minor shelf wear, author's signature to back endpaper and his hand written corrections to p.30 and p.101; near fine.\u003c\/p\u003e\n\u003cp\u003e\u003cstrong\u003eNumber 14 of 150 signed by Allen Ginsberg in black ink to back endpaper, dated January 14, 1982.\u003c\/strong\u003e\u003c\/p\u003e\n\u003cp\u003eThe final entry in The Pocket Poet Series. This copy contains Ginsberg's own handwritten corrections on p. 30 'chest' for 'breast' and p.101 (the addition of 'long').\u003c\/p\u003e\n\u003cp\u003eHardbound edition, published simultaneously with the soft cover first edition. 150 copies of the hard bound edition were numbered and signed by the author on the rear end paper, and sold at $35.00 (Cook, A147)\u003c\/p\u003e\n\u003cp\u003e\u003cstrong\u003eSKU: \u003c\/strong\u003e2120326\u003c\/p\u003e","brand":"Sotherans","offers":[{"title":"Default Title","offer_id":41648198909975,"sku":"2120326","price":300.0,"currency_code":"GBP","in_stock":true}],"thumbnail_url":"\/\/cdn.shopify.com\/s\/files\/1\/0045\/2178\/7426\/files\/2120326_bb995273-0436-4c7d-8deb-88ad86c5ef92.jpg?v=1779468776"},{"product_id":"ginsberg-allen-plutonian-ode-and-other-poems-1977-1981","title":"GINSBERG, Allen Plutonian Ode and Other Poems 1977-1980","description":"\u003cp\u003e\u003cstrong\u003eGINSBERG, Allen\u003c\/strong\u003e Plutonian Ode and Other Poems 1977-1980 \u003ci\u003eSan Francisco: City Lights Books, 1982.\u003c\/i\u003e\u003c\/p\u003e\n\u003cp\u003eSmall 4to., brick red cloth gilt to spine; yellow endpapers; original publisher's grey, red, white and black dustwrapper ($10.95); pp. [x], 11-111, [i]; a fine copy in near-fine jacket which has one light crease to upper edge and very light shelf wear to the lower panel.\u003c\/p\u003e\n\u003cp\u003eFirst edition. The final volume in the pocket poet series, which was published by Lawrence Ferlinghetti and the first volume of which had appeared in 1955. A photograph to p. [x] shows Ginsberg with his partner Orlovsky and friends of Rocky Flats truth force meditating on R.R. train tracks outside of Rockwell Corporation's Nuclear Facility's Plutonium bomb trigger factory in Colorado. The protest halted a trainload of waste fissile materials on the day that the title poem was completed, July 14th 1978.\u003c\/p\u003e\n\u003cp\u003e\u003cstrong\u003eSKU: \u003c\/strong\u003e2120324\u003c\/p\u003e","brand":"Sotherans","offers":[{"title":"Default Title","offer_id":41665079083031,"sku":"2120324","price":100.0,"currency_code":"GBP","in_stock":true}],"thumbnail_url":"\/\/cdn.shopify.com\/s\/files\/1\/0045\/2178\/7426\/files\/2120324.jpg?v=1726477545"},{"product_id":"ginsberg-allen-kaddish-1","title":"GINSBERG, Allen. Kaddish and other poems 1958-1960.","description":"\u003cp\u003e\u003cstrong\u003eGINSBERG, Allen.\u003c\/strong\u003e Kaddish and other poems 1958-1960. \u003ci\u003eSan Francisco: City Lights Books\u003c\/i\u003e. \u003ci\u003eAfter\u003c\/i\u003e 1961.\u003c\/p\u003e\n\u003cp\u003eSmall 4to. Perfect bound black and white wrappers, black lettering to spine, black and white lettering to upper and lower wrapper, price of $1.50 to top left corner of lower wrapper; pp. 100; wear and creasing to spine, minor sunning to wrappers, internally clean; near fine.\u003c\/p\u003e\n\u003cp\u003e\u003cstrong\u003eLater printing.\u003c\/strong\u003e\u003c\/p\u003e\n\u003cp\u003eKaddish is Allen Ginsberg's second collection of poetry to be published, after Howl in 1956. The title refers to the Jewish mourning prayer of the same name and is dedicated to his mother, Naomi Ginsberg.  At his mother's funeral the kaddish could not be recited as the funeral was done on short notice, which meant there were not enough Jewish men (a minyan) to perform the rite. In her final letter to her son, which arrived after her death, she wrote: \"I hope you are not taking any drugs as suggested by your poetry\", an ironic request, which Ginsberg references in the poem itself.\u003c\/p\u003e\n\u003cp\u003eSeven line printing notice to rear cover, indicating that this is a later printing\u003c\/p\u003e\n\u003cp\u003e(Cook, A30)\u003c\/p\u003e\n\u003cp\u003e(Morgan, p. 219-220)\u003c\/p\u003e\n\u003cp\u003e\u003cstrong\u003eSKU: \u003c\/strong\u003e2120389\u003c\/p\u003e","brand":"Sotherans","offers":[{"title":"Default Title","offer_id":53473945977209,"sku":"2120389","price":200.0,"currency_code":"GBP","in_stock":true}],"thumbnail_url":"\/\/cdn.shopify.com\/s\/files\/1\/0045\/2178\/7426\/files\/2120389.jpg?v=1722516889"},{"product_id":"ginsberg-allen-planet-news-1","title":"GINSBERG, Allen. Planet News.","description":"\u003cp\u003e\u003cstrong\u003eGINSBERG, Allen.\u003c\/strong\u003e Planet News. \u003ci\u003eSan Francisco: City Lights Books\u003c\/i\u003e. 1968.\u003c\/p\u003e\n\u003cp\u003eSmall 4to. Black and White card wrappers with black lettering; pp. [4], 7-144; front, back wrapper but particularly spine slightly faded with evidence of foxing to front wrapper; rubbing on spine and a minial tear to bottom of spine; otherwise a very good edition of a first printing.\u003c\/p\u003e\n\u003cp\u003e\u003cstrong\u003eFirst edition, first printing, one of 5000 copies printed letterpress at Villiers Publications in London.\u003c\/strong\u003e\u003c\/p\u003e\n\u003cp\u003eThis collection spans seven years of Ginsberg's poetry, many composed during periods of travel across Europe, as well as Japan and India to name merely a few.\u003c\/p\u003e\n\u003cp\u003eThis infamously dissociative body of work encompasses and collages themes as varied and yet made parallel as \"politics dissociation \u0026amp; messianic rhapsody\" and \" erotic gregariousness\", ending with a final summary by Helen Vendler of The New York Times ( available on the blurb of this edition)  that the collection, \"closes on politics to exorcise Pentagon phantoms who cover earth with dung-coloured gas\".\u003c\/p\u003e\n\u003cp\u003eNumber Twenty Three in the iconic series, Planet News is an exemplar of arguably the most disruptive creative voice of a generation.\u003c\/p\u003e\n\u003cp\u003e\u003cstrong\u003eSKU: \u003c\/strong\u003e2120398\u003c\/p\u003e","brand":"Sotherans","offers":[{"title":"Default Title","offer_id":53473946141049,"sku":"2120398","price":200.0,"currency_code":"GBP","in_stock":true}],"thumbnail_url":"\/\/cdn.shopify.com\/s\/files\/1\/0045\/2178\/7426\/files\/2120398.jpg?v=1722516904"},{"product_id":"ginsberg-allen-planet-news-2","title":"GINSBERG, Allen. Planet News.","description":"\u003cp\u003e\u003cstrong\u003eGINSBERG, Allen.\u003c\/strong\u003e Planet News. \u003ci\u003eSan Francisco: City Lights Books\u003c\/i\u003e. 1968.\u003c\/p\u003e\n\u003cp\u003eSmall 4to. Black and White card wrappers with black lettering; pp. [4], 7-144; back wrapper and spine slightly faded with a minimal stain to top left edge of back wrapper; otherwise a near fine edition of a first American printing.\u003c\/p\u003e\n\u003cp\u003e\u003cstrong\u003eFirst American edition.\u003c\/strong\u003e\u003c\/p\u003e\n\u003cp\u003eThis collection spans seven years of Ginsberg's poetry, many composed during periods of travel across Europe, as well as Japan and India to name merely a few.\u003c\/p\u003e\n\u003cp\u003eThis infamously dissociative body of work encompasses and collages themes as varied and yet made parallel as \"politics dissociation \u0026amp; messianic rhapsody\" and \" erotic gregariousness\", ending with a final summary by Helen Vendler of The New York Times ( available on the blurb of this edition)  that the collection, \"closes on politics to exorcise Pentagon phantoms who cover earth with dung-coloured gas\".\u003c\/p\u003e\n\u003cp\u003eNumber Twenty Three in the iconic series, Planet News is an exemplar of arguably the most disruptive creative voice of a generation.\u003c\/p\u003e\n\u003cp\u003e\u003cstrong\u003eSKU: \u003c\/strong\u003e2120384\u003c\/p\u003e","brand":"Sotherans","offers":[{"title":"Default Title","offer_id":53473946173817,"sku":"2120384","price":150.0,"currency_code":"GBP","in_stock":true}],"thumbnail_url":"\/\/cdn.shopify.com\/s\/files\/1\/0045\/2178\/7426\/files\/2120384.jpg?v=1722516909"},{"product_id":"ginsberg-allen-planet-news-3","title":"GINSBERG, Allen. Planet News 1961-1967.","description":"\u003cp\u003e\u003cstrong\u003eGINSBERG, Allen.\u003c\/strong\u003e Planet News 1961-1967. \u003ci\u003eSan Francisco: City Lights Books\u003c\/i\u003e. 1968.\u003c\/p\u003e\n\u003cp\u003eSmall 4to. Black and white wrappers, black lettering to spine, black and white lettering to upper and lower wrapper, price of $2 to top left corner of lower wrapper; pp. 144; minor shelf wear; very good.\u003c\/p\u003e\n\u003cp\u003e\u003cstrong\u003eFirst edition. Number Twenty-three of the Pocket Poet Series.\u003c\/strong\u003e\u003c\/p\u003e\n\u003cp\u003eThere is a Villier's notice inside the lower wrapper, indicating that this is a first edition.\u003c\/p\u003e\n\u003cp\u003e(Cook, A69)\u003c\/p\u003e\n\u003cp\u003e\u003cstrong\u003eSKU: \u003c\/strong\u003e2120394\u003c\/p\u003e","brand":"Sotherans","offers":[{"title":"Default Title","offer_id":55047233864057,"sku":"2120394","price":250.0,"currency_code":"GBP","in_stock":true}],"thumbnail_url":"\/\/cdn.shopify.com\/s\/files\/1\/0045\/2178\/7426\/files\/2120394.jpg?v=1722516913"},{"product_id":"ginsberg-allen-reality-sandwiches-2","title":"GINSBERG, Allen. Reality Sandwiches.","description":"\u003cp\u003e\u003cstrong\u003eGINSBERG, Allen.\u003c\/strong\u003e Reality Sandwiches. \u003ci\u003eSan Francisco: City Lights\u003c\/i\u003e. 1963.\u003c\/p\u003e\n\u003cp\u003eSmall 4to. Original black and white wrappers; pp.[4], 7-98, [2]; wrappers slightly rubbed; spine vaguely tanned and contents a little toned; otherwise a very good copy.\u003c\/p\u003e\n\u003cp\u003e\u003cstrong\u003eFirst edition, first printing, from the library of Alan Ansen; an associate of the Beat Generation (a characer in Jack Kerouac's \u003ci\u003eOn The Road\u003c\/i\u003e, Burrough's \u003ci\u003eNaked Lunch\u003c\/i\u003e and once W.H. Auden's secretary).\u003c\/strong\u003e\u003c\/p\u003e\n\u003cp\u003e\"Wake-up nightmares in Lower East Side, musing sin public library, across the U.S in dream auto, drunk in old Havana, brooding in Mayan ruins, sex daydreams on the West Coast\".\u003c\/p\u003e\n\u003cp\u003e\u003ci\u003e Reality Sandwiches \u003c\/i\u003e takes its title from the poem, 'On Burrough's Work', in which Ginsberg writes; \"We eat Reality Sandwiches. \/But alleogries are so much lettuce.\/ Don't hide the madness\". Unusual for Ginsberg's work, the collection includes many emblems of formal poetry, even reminsicnet of the form used by William Wordsworth. The disruption of this conventional meter is likely an acknowledgement of the influence of Ginsberg's mentor, Willaim Carlos Williams, who inspired Ginsberg to abandon flamboyant \"dressing\" in preference of a focus on powerful, bare simplicity.\u003c\/p\u003e\n\u003cp\u003eNumber Eighteen in Lawrence Ferlinghetti's famous Pocket Poets Series, \u003ci\u003e Reality Sandwiches \u003c\/i\u003e was written following the scandalous \u003ci\u003e Howl \u003c\/i\u003e (1956) and the iconic \u003ci\u003e Kaddish \u003c\/i\u003e (1961), all published by this City Lights series.\u003c\/p\u003e\n\u003cp\u003e\u003cstrong\u003eSKU: \u003c\/strong\u003e2120429\u003c\/p\u003e","brand":"Sotherans","offers":[{"title":"Default Title","offer_id":53473946337657,"sku":"2120429","price":200.0,"currency_code":"GBP","in_stock":true}],"thumbnail_url":"\/\/cdn.shopify.com\/s\/files\/1\/0045\/2178\/7426\/files\/2120429.jpg?v=1722516928"},{"product_id":"ginsberg-allen-mind-breaths-1","title":"GINSBERG, Allen Mind Breaths","description":"\u003cp\u003e\u003cstrong\u003eGINSBERG, Allen\u003c\/strong\u003e Mind Breaths \u003ci\u003eSan Francisco: City Lights Books\u003c\/i\u003e. 1977.\u003c\/p\u003e\n\u003cp\u003eSmall 4to. Original black and white wrappers; pp. [6], 123, [1], [4 (ads)]; wrappers rubbed and slighty toned, minor stain on back wrapper; spine minorly scruffed at spine ends and also lightly toned; otherwise a very good copy.\u003c\/p\u003e\n\u003cp\u003e\u003cstrong\u003eFirst edition.\u003c\/strong\u003e\u003c\/p\u003e\n\u003cp\u003eOne prominent and ongoing theme in the poetry of Allen Ginsberg is his use of 'mind breaths'. These constitute breaks in the poem with the intention of encouraging the reader to pause and reflect as well as to create a sense of his prevailing and unique play with rhythm.\u003cbr\u003eAmong the poems included alongside the title poem are \"On Neruda's Death\" (concerning Pablo Neruda, who passed away under quite controverial circumstances in 1973), and \"We Rise on Sunbeams and Fall in the Night\" (about the death of William Carlos Williams, who died after a series of strokes in 1963).\u003c\/p\u003e\n\u003cp\u003e\u003cstrong\u003eSKU: \u003c\/strong\u003e2120433\u003c\/p\u003e","brand":"Sotherans","offers":[{"title":"Default Title","offer_id":53471864586617,"sku":"2120433","price":150.0,"currency_code":"GBP","in_stock":true}],"thumbnail_url":"\/\/cdn.shopify.com\/s\/files\/1\/0045\/2178\/7426\/files\/2120433.jpg?v=1726745689"},{"product_id":"ginsberg-allen-mind-breaths-poems-1972-1977-n","title":"GINSBERG, Allen. Mind Breaths Poems 1972-1977.","description":"\u003cp\u003e\u003cstrong\u003eGINSBERG, Allen.\u003c\/strong\u003e Mind Breaths Poems 1972-1977. \u003ci\u003eSan Francisco: City Lights Books\u003c\/i\u003e. 1977.\u003c\/p\u003e\n\u003cp\u003eSmall 4to. Original black and white wrappers; pp. [6], 123, [1], [4 (ads)]; wrappers lightly toned, slight rubbing on spine ends and faded discolouration; good copy.\u003c\/p\u003e\n\u003cp\u003e\u003cstrong\u003eSecond edition from the library of Alan Ansen.\u003c\/strong\u003e\u003c\/p\u003e\n\u003cp\u003eOne prominent and ongoing theme in the poetry of Allen Ginsberg is his use of 'mind breaths'. These constitute breaks in the poem with the intention of encouraging the reader to pause and reflect as well as to create a sense of his prevailing and unique play with rhythm.\u003cbr\u003eAmong the poems included alongside the title poem are \"On Neruda's Death\" (concerning Pablo Neruda, who passed away under quite controverial circumstances in 1973), and \"We Rise on Sunbeams and Fall in the Night\" (about the death of William Carlos Williams, who died after a series of strokes in 1963).\u003c\/p\u003e\n\u003cp\u003e\u003cstrong\u003eSKU: \u003c\/strong\u003e2120432\u003c\/p\u003e","brand":"Sotherans","offers":[{"title":"Default Title","offer_id":53471864750457,"sku":"2120432","price":100.0,"currency_code":"GBP","in_stock":true}],"thumbnail_url":"\/\/cdn.shopify.com\/s\/files\/1\/0045\/2178\/7426\/files\/2120432.jpg?v=1726745693"},{"product_id":"ginsberg-allen-indian-journal","title":"GINSBERG, Allen. Indian Journal.","description":"\u003cp\u003e\u003cstrong\u003eGINSBERG, Allen.\u003c\/strong\u003e Indian Journal. \u003ci\u003eSan Fransisco: Dave Haselwood Books \u0026amp; City Lights Books.\u003c\/i\u003e 1970.\u003c\/p\u003e\n\u003cp\u003e8vo. Brown and white illustrated card wrappers with black lettering to spine; pp. [ii], 210; minimal rubbing to head of spine, otherwise fine.\u003c\/p\u003e\n\u003cp\u003e\u003cstrong\u003eFirst paperback edition.\u003c\/strong\u003e\u003c\/p\u003e\n\u003cp\u003e\u003ci\u003eIndian Journals\u003c\/i\u003e is a diary written by \u003ci\u003eAllen Ginsberg\u003c\/i\u003e during his formative years living in India in the 1960's. This is the first paperback edition, published in 1970 by \u003ci\u003eDave Haselwood\u003c\/i\u003e and \u003ci\u003eCity Lights\u003c\/i\u003e. It is described by \u003ci\u003eAllen Ginsberg\u003c\/i\u003e himself as on January 24, 1970 as, \u003ci\u003e\"notebook writings sketches dream fragments night thougts afternoon reveries,,,,fragments of conversation with Beggars, poets, Babas, newsmen, lovers\" in an extensive summary translated to the blurb.\u003c\/i\u003e\u003c\/p\u003e\n\u003cp\u003e\"These journals include the bulk of writing (except for letters) done by the author during 1962-3 stay in India….Not originated for public eye, it's taken half a decade to transcribe, edit \u0026amp; publish these journals with matching photos and drawings reproduced as per lonely handwork of self keeping record of self's consciousness\".~i~ (blurb).\u003c\/p\u003e\n\u003cp\u003e\u003cstrong\u003eSKU: \u003c\/strong\u003e2121807\u003c\/p\u003e","brand":"Sotherans","offers":[{"title":"Default Title","offer_id":55100463645049,"sku":"2121807","price":200.0,"currency_code":"GBP","in_stock":true}],"thumbnail_url":"\/\/cdn.shopify.com\/s\/files\/1\/0045\/2178\/7426\/files\/2121807.jpg?v=1743680772"},{"product_id":"ginsberg-allen-the-change","title":"GINSBERG, Allen. The Change.","description":"\u003ch3 style=\"font-variant: small-caps\"\u003eBoth versions, one with the rare misspelt cover\u003c\/h3\u003e\n\u003cp\u003e\u003cstrong\u003eGINSBERG, Allen.\u003c\/strong\u003e The Change. \u003ci\u003e[London]: Writers' Forum\u003c\/i\u003e. 1963.\u003c\/p\u003e\n\u003cp\u003e4to. Two copies. Original illustrated wrappers; staple bound; unpaginated [pp. 24]; light creasing to wrappers on both copies; both copies with slight toning to endpapers; first printing copy lacking staple binding; internally bright and clean, two near fine copies of a scarce Ginsberg collection.\u003c\/p\u003e\n\u003cp\u003e\u003cstrong\u003eFirst editions, first printing and second printing. First printing with author's name on the cover spelt incorrectly as \"Ginsburg\".\u003c\/strong\u003e\u003c\/p\u003e\n\u003cp\u003eThere are approximately only 12 copies of the first printing existing in this state (Bob Cobbing, the publisher). There are two poems included in this publication, \"Poem: Upper India Express\" (May 1 1963), and \"The Change: Kyoto-Tokyo Express\" (July 18 1963). A key example of Ginsberg's travel poetry, \u003ci\u003eThe Change\u003c\/i\u003e is marked by a blend of personal experience and broader existential reflection, with his travels in the early 1960s contributing to his exploration of global consciousness and the human condition. A central figure of the Beat Generation, Ginsberg's poetry often explores deeper existential questions, which is reflected in \u003ci\u003eThe Change\u003c\/i\u003e as he contemplates how meditation, rather than drug use, might help in his introspection and self-exploration.\u003c\/p\u003e\n\u003cp\u003e\u003cstrong\u003eSKU: \u003c\/strong\u003e2120041\u003c\/p\u003e","brand":"Sotherans","offers":[{"title":"Default Title","offer_id":55472357966201,"sku":"2120041","price":5500.0,"currency_code":"GBP","in_stock":true}],"thumbnail_url":"\/\/cdn.shopify.com\/s\/files\/1\/0045\/2178\/7426\/files\/2120041.jpg?v=1752666592"},{"product_id":"ginsberg-allen-the-fall-of-america","title":"GINSBERG, Allen The Fall of America","description":"\u003cp\u003e\u003cstrong\u003eGINSBERG, Allen\u003c\/strong\u003e The Fall of America \u003ci\u003eSan Fransico: City Lights Books.\u003c\/i\u003e 1972.\u003c\/p\u003e\n\u003cp\u003e2 Vols. Small 4to. Soft white wrappers lettered in black, price of $2.50 to top left corner of lower wrapper; pp. [10], 188, [2, (bibliographical note and afterword)]; lower wrapper lightly sunned to top edge; near fine. Small 4to. Soft black wrappers lettered in white, price of $3 to top left corner of lower wrapper; pp. [10], 188, [2,(afterword and publisher's advertisement]; creasing to spine and lower wrapper, general shelf wear, author signature in black ink to title page; very good.\u003c\/p\u003e\n\u003cp\u003e\u003cstrong\u003eNumber thirty of the Pocket Poet's Series. First edition offered with later printing signed by the author.\u003c\/strong\u003e\u003c\/p\u003e\n\u003cp\u003eFirst edition is identified by its white covers lettered in black and it's lack of a printing notice to rear cover. Subsequent printings have covers printed in the negative.\u003c\/p\u003e\n\u003cp\u003e\u003ci\u003e(Cook, A101)\u003c\/i\u003e\u003c\/p\u003e\n\u003cp\u003e\u003cstrong\u003eSKU: \u003c\/strong\u003e2125141\u003c\/p\u003e","brand":"Sotherans","offers":[{"title":"Default Title","offer_id":57311693373817,"sku":"2125141","price":200.0,"currency_code":"GBP","in_stock":true}],"thumbnail_url":"\/\/cdn.shopify.com\/s\/files\/1\/0045\/2178\/7426\/files\/2125141_623d5eac-ff14-4a0b-8095-1e543e99157c.jpg?v=1779468555"},{"product_id":"ginsberg-allen-lawrence-ferlinghetti-kenneth-patchen-et-al-the-pocket-poets-series-a-run-of-the-first-25-volumes","title":"[GINSBERG, Allen, Lawrence FERLINGHETTI, Kenneth PATCHEN, et al. ] The Pocket Poets Series. A run of the first 25 volumes.","description":"\u003ch3 style=\"font-variant: small-caps\"\u003e‘Printer’s Ink is the Greater Explosive’ (Ferlinghetti)\u003c\/h3\u003e\n\u003cp\u003e\u003cstrong\u003e[GINSBERG, Allen, Lawrence FERLINGHETTI, Kenneth PATCHEN, \u003ci\u003eet al.\u003ci\u003e]\u003c\/i\u003e\u003c\/i\u003e\u003c\/strong\u003e The Pocket Poets Series. A run of the first 25 volumes. \u003ci\u003eSan Francisco: The City Lights Bookshop\u003c\/i\u003e. 1955-1968.\u003c\/p\u003e\n\u003cp\u003eTwenty-five volumes; small 8vo. All in original publisher’s typographic card wrappers printed in a variety of colours including yellow, red, blue and green, vols 21 and 22 with cover illustrations\/photographs; some including black-and-white photographs, housed in a custom-made solander box; overall light shelfwear and marking, all minimal; vol. 3 with some light marking to covers, spotting to prelims and outer edge, and toning to spine; vols 5 and 6 with small dampstains to covers; vol. 7 with previous owners ink initials to front cover; vol. 16 spine expertly reinforced; vol. 19 with corner crease to upper cover; vol. 22 with previous ownership name in ink to title; some covers a little rubbed to extremities, others a little toned to the wraps; a remarkably fresh set.\u003c\/p\u003e\n\u003cp\u003e\u003cstrong\u003e First editions, first printings, comprising the first twenty-five titles in the Pocket Poets Series, from Ferlinghetti's \u003ci\u003ePictures of the Gone World\u003c\/i\u003e (1955) to Pablo Picasso's \u003ci\u003eHunk of Skin\u003c\/i\u003e (1968).\u003c\/strong\u003e\u003c\/p\u003e\n\u003cp\u003eIssued by Lawrence Ferlinghetti's City Lights Bookstore in San Francisco, the Pocket Poets Series was one of the most influential publishing ventures of post-war America. Conceived as an inexpensive paperback series that would bring contemporary poetry to a wider audience, it provided an early platform for writers including Frank O'Hara, Kenneth Patchen, Bob Kaufman, Allen Ginsberg, and William Carlos Williams, while helping to define the literary identity of the San Francisco Renaissance and the Beat writers. Its distinctive typographic wrappers, indebted to contemporary political pamphlets and little magazines, became, and remains, one the most recognisable designs in twentieth-century American publishing.\u003c\/p\u003e\n\u003cp\u003eThe series began in August 1955 with Ferlinghetti's own \u003ci\u003ePictures of the Gone World\u003c\/i\u003e, a volume whose performative energy and conversational style quickly found an audience in the coffeehouses and improvised venues of San Francisco. Over the next thirteen years, the Pocket Poets Series published many of the defining voices of post-war American poetry, combining avant-garde experimentation with unprecedented accessibility, reaching readers beyond traditional literary circles. Among its most celebrated publications was Ginsberg's \u003ci\u003eHowl and Other Poems\u003c\/i\u003e (1956), the fourth title in the series. Ferlinghetti had first heard Howl performed at the now legendary Six Gallery reading of 7 October 1955, an event often regarded as the symbolic beginning of the Beat movement. Returning home, he sent Ginsberg a telegram echoing Emerson's letter to Whitman: 'I greet you at the beginning of a great career. When do I get the manuscript?'\u003c\/p\u003e\n\u003cp\u003eThe publication of \u003ci\u003eHowl\u003c\/i\u003e brought national attention to both City Lights and the Pocket Poets Series. In 1957 Ferlinghetti and City Lights manager Shigeyoshi Murao were arrested for publishing and selling the book. The ensuing obscenity trial culminated in a ruling that \u003ci\u003eHowl\u003c\/i\u003e was not obscene, a landmark victory against censorship that significantly expanded legal protections for literary expression in the United States and cemented the reputation of both the series and its publisher.\u003c\/p\u003e\n\u003cp\u003e\u003ci\u003eSee Cherkovski, Ferlinghetti: A Biography (1979); Cook, City Lights Books: A Descriptive Bibliography (1992); Miles, Allen Ginsberg: Beat Poet (2010). \u003c\/i\u003e\u003c\/p\u003e\n\u003cp\u003e\u003cstrong\u003eSKU: \u003c\/strong\u003e2120273\u003c\/p\u003e","brand":"Sotherans","offers":[{"title":"Default Title","offer_id":57325492666745,"sku":"2120273","price":15000.0,"currency_code":"GBP","in_stock":true}],"thumbnail_url":"\/\/cdn.shopify.com\/s\/files\/1\/0045\/2178\/7426\/files\/2120273.jpg?v=1779607333"},{"product_id":"ginsberg-allen-siesta-in-xbalba-and-return-to-the-states","title":"GINSBERG, Allen. Siesta in Xbalba and Return to the States.","description":"\u003cp\u003e\u003cstrong\u003eGINSBERG, Allen.\u003c\/strong\u003e Siesta in Xbalba and Return to the States. \u003ci\u003eIcy Cape, Alaska: Printed by the author\u003c\/i\u003e. 1956\u003c\/p\u003e\n\u003cp\u003eSmall 4to (204 x 165 mm). Single gathering of twelve leaves, stapled twice to the left margin, the title page serving as upper wrapper, lettered in black; pp. 22; vertical crease through all leaves, small spot to the margins of the first four pages; a remarkably well-preserved example; near fine.\u003c\/p\u003e\n\u003cp\u003e\u003cstrong\u003eFirst and only edition, one of approximately 52 copies, signed by Allen Ginsberg in black ink to the title page; among the rarest separately published Beat publications, with very few copies remaining in circulation.\u003c\/strong\u003e\u003c\/p\u003e\n\u003cp\u003eOne of an estimated fifty-two copies produced by Ginsberg aboard ship off the coast of Alaska in July 1956. While delayed near Icy Cape awaiting the break-up of sea ice, he gained access to the vessel's mimeograph machine and printed the pamphlet himself between 26 and 27 July, distributing copies among friends and fellow travellers. The unusual circumstances of its production make \u003ci\u003eSiesta in Xbalba\u003c\/i\u003e one of the most elusive publications of Ginsberg's early career.\u003c\/p\u003e\n\u003cp\u003eThe poem was written in a school exercise book during Ginsberg's travels through Mexico in April and May 1954 and revised over the following months. Writing to Neal Cassady, he expressed a desire to make something lasting from his experiences in Chiapas. ‘Xbalba’ derives from Xibalba, the underworld of the K'iche' Maya epic \u003ci\u003ePopol Vuh\u003c\/i\u003e, and the poem interweaves Mayan mythology and spirituality with Ginsberg's developing search for transcendence, identity, and poetic vocation.\u003c\/p\u003e\n\u003cp\u003ePredating the City Lights publication of \u003ci\u003eHowl and Other Poems\u003c\/i\u003e, the work is dedicated to Karena Shields (born Catherine Mary Plant, 1904–1972), with whom Ginsberg stayed at a cacao finca in the Chiapas jungle during 1954. Part of the poem was composed there, and the title preserves Shields's idiosyncratic spelling of ‘Xibalba’ as ‘Xbalba’. Ginsberg later encouraged Kerouac to seek her out during his own travels in Mexico, suggesting that she might install him in a ‘grass hut alone at village outskirt in the midst of forest’, an invitation that failed to entice him: ‘I don't want to see the Senora – I won't move from Bill's pad. I am hungup and very high on Mexican’.\u003c\/p\u003e\n\u003cp\u003e\u003ci\u003eNo copies traced in the United Kingdom; not recorded by Library Hub. \u003c\/i\u003e\u003c\/p\u003e\n\u003cp\u003e\u003ci\u003eMorgan A2. \u003c\/i\u003e\u003c\/p\u003e\n\u003cp\u003e\u003cstrong\u003eSKU: \u003c\/strong\u003e2124409\u003c\/p\u003e","brand":"Sotherans","offers":[{"title":"Default Title","offer_id":57371436482937,"sku":"2124409","price":18500.0,"currency_code":"GBP","in_stock":true}],"thumbnail_url":"\/\/cdn.shopify.com\/s\/files\/1\/0045\/2178\/7426\/files\/2124409.jpg?v=1780488501"},{"product_id":"ginsberg-allen-howl-for-carl-solomon","title":"GINSBERG, Allen. Howl for Carl Solomon.","description":"\u003cp\u003e\u003cstrong\u003eGINSBERG, Allen.\u003c\/strong\u003e Howl for Carl Solomon. [\u003ci\u003eNew York: Gotham Book Mart\u003c\/i\u003e]. 1979.\u003c\/p\u003e\n\u003cp\u003e17 A4 leaves, stapled at the upper corner and printed on rectos only; Gotham Book Mart ink stamp at foot of title page; fine.\u003c\/p\u003e\n\u003cp\u003e\u003cstrong\u003eAn exceptionally rare, unauthorised reprinting of Ginsberg's first book, produced from the original ditto masters; one of the most elusive items in the Beat bibliography, and one of very few recorded copies bearing the Gotham Book Mart stamp.\u003c\/strong\u003e\u003c\/p\u003e\n\u003cp\u003eThis clandestine edition was produced by Gotham Book Mart without Ginsberg's knowledge or permission while an instalment of his papers was being appraised before their transfer to Columbia University (now preserved at Stanford University). Having obtained access to the original ditto masters used to print the first edition, Gotham reportedly produced around one hundred copies before Ginsberg learned of the project and demanded that the entire edition be surrendered to him.\u003c\/p\u003e\n\u003cp\u003eAccording to Ginsberg's bibliographer, Bill Morgan, Gotham informed the poet that most copies had been destroyed and none offered for sale. A small number nevertheless clearly survived, some bearing the Gotham Book Mart stamp on the title page, as here, and others unstamped. Morgan records that the present example is among the few copies returned to Ginsberg and notes that only three stamped copies are known.\u003c\/p\u003e\n\u003cp\u003eThe text itself occupies a foundational place in Beat literature. \u003ci\u003eHowl for Carl Solomon\u003c\/i\u003e, Ginsberg's first separately published work, was originally issued in May 1956 in an edition of just twenty-five copies, preceding the first City Lights edition of \u003ci\u003eHowl and Other Poems\u003c\/i\u003e by several months. The Gotham reprint can be distinguished from the original by its violet ink, more precise alignment of the text on the page, and, where present, the Gotham stamp.\u003c\/p\u003e\n\u003cp\u003e\u003ci\u003eMorgan A1a2.\u003c\/i\u003e\u003c\/p\u003e\n\u003cp\u003e\u003cstrong\u003eSKU: \u003c\/strong\u003e2124407\u003c\/p\u003e","brand":"Sotherans","offers":[{"title":"Default Title","offer_id":57371438219641,"sku":"2124407","price":9000.0,"currency_code":"GBP","in_stock":true}],"thumbnail_url":"\/\/cdn.shopify.com\/s\/files\/1\/0045\/2178\/7426\/files\/2124407.jpg?v=1780488517"},{"product_id":"ginsberg-allen-photographs","title":"GINSBERG, Allen. Photographs.","description":"\u003cp\u003e\u003cstrong\u003eGINSBERG, Allen.\u003c\/strong\u003e Photographs. \u003ci\u003ePasedena: Twelvetrees Press\u003c\/i\u003e. 1990.\u003c\/p\u003e\n\u003cp\u003eFolio. Original grey cloth, titles in blind to front cover and spine, in dust-jacket; pp. [117], [1]; with photographic illustrations throughout; some minor creasing to edges of jacket; a near-fine copy in like dust-jacket.\u003c\/p\u003e\n\u003cp\u003e\u003cstrong\u003eFirst edition, a presentation copy inscribed by Allen Ginsberg with an original ink drawing of a sunflower.\u003c\/strong\u003e\u003c\/p\u003e\n\u003cp\u003eBeat poet Allen Ginsberg’s photographs include portraits of fellow writers Jack Kerouac, Neal Cassady, and William Burroughs, among others. This book reproduces nearly one hundred of Ginsberg’s black and white portraits, taken from the 1950s through to the 1980s. Each photograph is accompanied by annotations in facsimile in Ginsberg’s hand, describing the characters and episodes that populated his life.\u003c\/p\u003e\n\u003cp\u003eThis unique copy includes \u003cstrong\u003ean original ink drawing by Ginsberg illustrating his favoured Blakean poem ‘Ah! Sunflower’.\u003c\/strong\u003e\u003c\/p\u003e\n\u003cp\u003e\u003cstrong\u003eSKU: \u003c\/strong\u003e2124711\u003c\/p\u003e","brand":"Sotherans","offers":[{"title":"Default Title","offer_id":63736807948665,"sku":"2124711","price":650.0,"currency_code":"GBP","in_stock":true}],"thumbnail_url":"\/\/cdn.shopify.com\/s\/files\/1\/0045\/2178\/7426\/files\/2124711.jpg?v=1781107108"},{"product_id":"ginsberg-allen-wales-a-visitation-july-29th-1968","title":"GINSBERG, Allen. Wales – A Visitation July 29th 1967.","description":"\u003cp\u003e\u003cstrong\u003eGINSBERG, Allen.\u003c\/strong\u003e Wales – A Visitation July 29th 1967. \u003ci\u003eLondon: Cape Goliard Press\u003c\/i\u003e. 1968.\u003c\/p\u003e\n\u003cp\u003e4to. Original brown paper-covered boards, in the dust-jacket with photograph of Ginsberg by Tom Maschler to front; unpaginated; light fading to spines and boards extremities, light wear to top edge of jacket and slight damp staining to upper edge of rear panel; otherwise very good.\u003c\/p\u003e\n\u003cp\u003e\u003cstrong\u003eFirst edition, one of 200 hors commerce copies.\u003c\/strong\u003e\u003c\/p\u003e\n\u003cp\u003eGinsberg composed \u003ci\u003eWales – A Visitation\u003c\/i\u003e in the summer of 1967 while travelling through the Black Mountains with the publisher Tom Maschler and under the influence of LSD. The poem is deeply indebted to the Romantic tradition, with visionary descriptions of the Welsh landscape and even the bleating of lambs evoking the prophetic imagination of William Blake.\u003c\/p\u003e\n\u003cp\u003e\u003cstrong\u003eSKU: \u003c\/strong\u003e2121808\u003c\/p\u003e","brand":"Sotherans","offers":[{"title":"Default Title","offer_id":63840007684473,"sku":"2121808","price":150.0,"currency_code":"GBP","in_stock":true}],"thumbnail_url":"\/\/cdn.shopify.com\/s\/files\/1\/0045\/2178\/7426\/files\/2121808.jpg?v=1782480535"},{"product_id":"ginsberg-allen-plutonian-ode-1","title":"GINSBERG, Allen. Plutonian Ode.","description":"\u003cp\u003e\u003cstrong\u003eGINSBERG, Allen.\u003c\/strong\u003e Plutonian Ode. \u003ci\u003e[Boulder, CO: Renaissance Press.]\u003c\/i\u003e 1978.\u003c\/p\u003e\n\u003cp\u003eOriginal yellow card folder containing four loose sheets, titled in black to the front cover in mock-calligraphic style, printed to rectos only; ff. [4]; fine.\u003c\/p\u003e\n\u003cp\u003e\u003cstrong\u003eThe true first edition, first printing of Ginsberg's anti-nuclear poem; signed and dated by the author in 1978, with a holograph emendation establishing the accepted reading of a key line in the text.\u003c\/strong\u003e\u003c\/p\u003e\n\u003cp\u003ePrinted in an edition of 400 copies, \u003ci\u003ePlutonian Ode\u003c\/i\u003e was distributed free of charge on 3 August 1978 in conjunction with protests against the Rocky Flats nuclear weapons plant near Denver, Colorado. Ginsberg composed the poem on the eve of the demonstration, during which he joined protesters occupying railway tracks used for the transport of nuclear materials. Combining political protest, Buddhist meditation, and prophetic lament, the poem stands among the most important achievements of his later career.\u003c\/p\u003e\n\u003cp\u003eIssued for the demonstration itself, this edition precedes the City Lights publication by four years. The present copy is signed and dated by Ginsberg to the verso of the folder and bears his correction in black ink to the second leaf, altering the line from ‘I vocalize \u003ci\u003eyou\u003c\/i\u003e consciousness’ to ‘I vocalize \u003ci\u003eyour \u003c\/i\u003econsciousness’. The emendation establishes the reading subsequently adopted in later printings and editions.\u003c\/p\u003e\n\u003cp\u003e\u003ci\u003eMorgan A40.\u003c\/i\u003e\u003c\/p\u003e\n\u003cp\u003e\u003cstrong\u003eSKU: \u003c\/strong\u003e2121554\u003c\/p\u003e","brand":"Sotherans","offers":[{"title":"Default Title","offer_id":63840009060729,"sku":"2121554","price":1500.0,"currency_code":"GBP","in_stock":true}],"thumbnail_url":"\/\/cdn.shopify.com\/s\/files\/1\/0045\/2178\/7426\/files\/2121554.jpg?v=1782480545"}],"thumbnail_url":"\/\/cdn.shopify.com\/s\/files\/1\/0045\/2178\/7426\/collections\/Ginsberg_2.jpg?v=1786703529","url":"https:\/\/sotherans.co.uk\/collections\/allen-ginsberg.oembed","provider":"Sotherans","version":"1.0","type":"link"}