Bill Butler : In Progress Alder Gulch [ Pirate Edition , Author’s Copy , Poetry ]
$1,000
In stock
Description
A unique pirated copy of In Progress Alder Gulch and Other Poems, the first poetry book by writer and bookseller Bill Butler , xeroxed and bound for Butler himself.
Butler, Bill. In Progress : Alder Gulch and Other Poems. [ID Bookshop : Seattle ] 1969. First edition thus, limited edition, 1 of 2 hand numbered copies. Presentation copy. Author’s copy.
Bill Butler , owner and operator of the Unicorn Bookshop in Brighton, in addition to writing poetry was prosecuted for obscenity in the UK after printing J.G. Ballard’s “Why I Want To Fuck Ronald Reagan” in 1968. Originally from Spokane, Washington, Butler had moved to Britain in 1965, establishing himself as a staple of the growing hippie counter culture, selling books on poetry, mysticism, the occult, drugs, and other topics. In publishing Ballard’s parodic pamphlet — written in the form of a satirical research paper on a sex study involving Ronald Reagan masks — Butler helped launch the career of the writer who would go on to write Crash and High Rise at the cost of his own.
On January 16, 1968, British police raided the Unicorn Bookshop, seizing thousands of titles including works by Burroughs, Ginsberg and others, as well as the business’ cash. Charged with “possessing obscene articles for publication for gain” Butler’s August 1968 trial ended in his being saddled with 3000 GBP in debt, the equivalent of $60,000 USD today, forcing the closure of the Unicorn and his departure from Bristol.
Visiting his home state the following year, Butler met calligrapher and bookseller Steve Herold, later a member of the Asparagus Moonlight Group, who (with Rod Oleson) created this special pirate edition of his first book In Progress, originally published by the Haunted Bookshop in 1961, by xeroxing every page.
As Herold’s inscription explains, this book is one of two which “exists so that Bill Butler could have his own copy of this book &, not always having to sell his copy”.
Butler died in Wales, UK a few years later at age 44.
8vo, 45pp, white cloth boards with blue cloth spine. Title gilt to front board and spine. Minor soiling with some spots to front and back boards. Back board rubbed. Some toning to pastedowns. Long calligraphic presentation inscription on front free endpaper. Very good condition.
If you liked this book, you might also like this first edition of Howl or this copy of Songs of Bilitis owned by silent film director Victor Schertzinger.
