Away like Batman/An ampersand for Judas/Batman

[a transformer's puzzle, completed on my coffee table<

Kathy Acker selections, two books I didn't have + a cheap signed 1st pristine HC Pussy, King of the Pirates:


The perfunctory tone of the crooked, unadorned signature has it's own charm. This was her last novel, from 1996.


The design of the book by Grove is elegantly cheeky, from the graphic marbly end papers to the hot pink flaps, to Kathy's attractive author photo.



These two volumes couldn't be more different, though both are fun (the Patterns of Symmetry is somewhat valuable). Lust Damned, an original Midnight Reader, was the best title out of stacks that all featured the same style of contents & design. Patterns of Symmetry, out of UMass, 1977, ties for coolest book of the haul, & deserves its own post sometime.


The back ad of Lust Damned speaks for itself:


Inside Lust Damned:



Then the beloved books on books. Kraus' A Rare Book Saga adjacent English Books 1475- 1900, a signpost for collectors. Both are A++.


A snapshot of the snapshots at the center of the Kraus:



Obligatory poetry volumes, affordably had. Both coincidentally U of California P products. All Poets Welcome comes w/ a CD of pretty much everyone New York in the 60s, including John Wieners' classic "Poem for Cocksuckers", Ted Berrigan reading a handful of sonnets, & a Clark Coolidge audio file I've not heard before, "Machinations Calcite".



A further selection of 1-handed reading. Robert Duncan approves!


Lastly from this haul, the livre du grand gidouille grand, & the fifth U of California P item displayed in this post (2 more are below):




These next three were AWP acquisitions, yet haven't made it home until now. Stein Mac Low Moriarty. They are rescued. It shouldn't be news to anyone, but Thing of Beauty is one of the best realized books of recent years, from production to contents. Kudos to Anne Tardos in conjunction with U of California P.



Inside a Thing of Beauty:



The selection from perhaps my favorite Mac Low book, Pieces o' Six:



A spread from the Laura Moriarty volume A Semblance, recently out from Omnidawn:



& a signature:

(*) (*) (*) (*) (*) (*)

Now, a pictorial tour around Sawyer & Darton's 2-volume English Books, 1475-1900, printed in 2000 sets in '27. Undoubtedly the items I've spent the most time with since acquisition.