White Skin : Bill Butler 1968 [ Signed Limited Edition Poetry ]
$120
In stock
Description
Signed Limited Edition Poetry Chapbook “White Skin” by Bill Butler of the Unicorn Bookshop From Same Year As His Notorious UK Obscenity Trial
Butler, Bill. White Skin. Unicorn Bookshop. Brighton, UK. 1968. Signed Limited Edition.
Signed poetry chapbook from Bill Butler, owner and operator of the Unicorn Bookshop in Brighton. Originally from Spokane, Washington, Butler moved to Britain in 1965, establishing himself as a staple of the growing hippie counterculture, selling books on poetry, mysticism, the occult, drugs, and other topics. In 1968, the same year as this publication, Butler printed J.G. Ballard’s “Why I Want To Fuck Ronald Reagan” and was subsequently prosecuted for obscenity. 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. The subsequent fines and legal fees pushed Butler into debt, leading to the Unicorn’s closure. Butler would died a few years later of a drug overdose in at age 44. This copy of White Skin was one of only 25 that Butler signed out of a total of 115 copies.
Folded broadside pamphlet with foil stamped owl image on interior. Number stamped and hand signed to back. #16 of 115 copies. Near fine.
If you liked this book, you may also like this pirate edition of Bill Butler’s first collection, In Progress, owned by Bill Butler.
