Did everyone see the results of the Ed Blair auction at Pacific Book Auctions last week? Holy mother of God! Four-page letter to Corrington ca. 1963 for $4,025. One page letter to Ed Blair for $3,162. A copy of CRUCIFIX inscribed to the publishers sold for $4,312. IT CATCHES inscribed to Jon Webb for $6,900. Most outrageous of all, an inscribed copy of FLOWER FIST for $9,775!! Yikes! Despite this madness, there were some bargains to be had. For instance, Bukowski/Purdy letters 1/200 signed for $184. Signed Dorbin biblio for $149. A mint copy of COLD DOGS for $460. Very reasonable prices.
Ed Blair archive auction at Pacific Book Auction (1 Viewer)
- Thread starter nymark
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cirerita
Founding member
I think PBA Galleries also auctioned Ed Blair archives on Ebay. There's a thread somewhere about that. Flower Fist got almost $9,000. Crazy!
edit: maybe we're talking about the same thing because there was this buyer premium fee to be added to the prices I saw, and I think they're very similar to the ones you just posted here.
edit: maybe we're talking about the same thing because there was this buyer premium fee to be added to the prices I saw, and I think they're very similar to the ones you just posted here.
mjp
Founding member
The Dorbin and Cold Dogs prices surprised me, especially considering how high everything else went. Dorbin is really hard to find. But I guess bibliographies are of interest to a small minority.
What's interesting to me, not just in this auction, but over the past year or so in general, is the rising prices of the letters. They used to be available for peanuts, compared to the better manuscripts. I guess those days are over.
A lot of people thought that the release of Born Into This would cause a spike in values, but I don't think the theatrical release was wide enough to do much. The DVD on the other hand, along with these new readings coming out, could really start to generate a lot of interest, and renewed interest, in which case we may be in the last days of any old or original material being "affordable."
I'm sure it will still be considered affordable to some, but not to us commoners. ;)
What's interesting to me, not just in this auction, but over the past year or so in general, is the rising prices of the letters. They used to be available for peanuts, compared to the better manuscripts. I guess those days are over.
A lot of people thought that the release of Born Into This would cause a spike in values, but I don't think the theatrical release was wide enough to do much. The DVD on the other hand, along with these new readings coming out, could really start to generate a lot of interest, and renewed interest, in which case we may be in the last days of any old or original material being "affordable."
I'm sure it will still be considered affordable to some, but not to us commoners. ;)
I think( hope) the outrageously high prices for the Ed Blair (Buk) material at the PBA auction are an anomaly. Scott from Abandoned Bookstore called me immediately after and ,like me, was dumbfounded at what looked like the obscene bidding.Scott was present at the auction and believes all the winning bids came from a person on the phone who relayed the bid to someone there who placed it on the floor. That is all I want to attribute to Scott. Any suspicions? Let me give you a hint. They were bid higher than they are worth. Still do not know? The auction took place March 9, 2006(there is a reason I put in the year-who knows if they will be paid for in this millenium). As of my posting on April 15, 2006 the high bidder did not pay. Yes! Yes! Yes! All the Buk sellers who screamed together are right. It looks like the obscene one has risen from the ashes of his father's monthly stipend.
And yes I bid-but only for Al Purdy item I won for $80. Buk prices are artificially low today. The only reason they were outrageously high before was the boy on a stipend bid against the commoner. Even though I pledged I would not be an asshole on this site, acting like an asshole and being very competitive (when fighting against what he thought was evil incarnate) I bid beyond my means thinking stupidlly Buk would not want his literary treasure trove in the hands of a frock coated capitalist. I got the word from the brilliant Black Sparrow publisher (who I will not name) that Buk would not care, all he wanted is to spread his literary cum in paperbacks. But by then I was hooked-my live in girlfriend, sick of me reading Buk, writing poetry she found vulgar, piling up a home equity loan, selling things from under her, borrowing etc. to be MR EBAY said it was Buk or her. Of course I chose Buk. He was better company and never asked me to help with the dishes.
My only touch with reality then was my good friend Billy Roberts, who , often would email me saying NOOOOOOOOOOO. My friends talked about a Bukowski intervention sort of like on the Sopranos where they would kick me repeatedly and leave me for dead if I continued buying but I was undaunted. Fuck them I thought,"They never read Ham on Rye." Then I did something I pledged I never would do since I told my children, when Dad passes on. Do not sell my Buk stuff at a garage sale-for $5 apiece and even if the spoiled little boy on a stipend offers you an ungodly amount, piss on all things Buk before you sell to him----Choosing to pay back a loan from my 90 year old mother to buy Buk-I sold one of my one of a kind art pieces to the spoiled one.
This is the only time the great human being and publisher (when he publishes me) Billy Roberts was proven wrong. Billy said, "Ross....the Prick(my words not his-Bill is domesticated) will never buy from you-he hates you." Knowing that....the Prick would buy from the Devil for Buk I sold it-he bought it and thanked me." So can anyone spare me a dime so I can bid on the next Ebay auction. "What? What do you mean -no asshole?"
And yes I bid-but only for Al Purdy item I won for $80. Buk prices are artificially low today. The only reason they were outrageously high before was the boy on a stipend bid against the commoner. Even though I pledged I would not be an asshole on this site, acting like an asshole and being very competitive (when fighting against what he thought was evil incarnate) I bid beyond my means thinking stupidlly Buk would not want his literary treasure trove in the hands of a frock coated capitalist. I got the word from the brilliant Black Sparrow publisher (who I will not name) that Buk would not care, all he wanted is to spread his literary cum in paperbacks. But by then I was hooked-my live in girlfriend, sick of me reading Buk, writing poetry she found vulgar, piling up a home equity loan, selling things from under her, borrowing etc. to be MR EBAY said it was Buk or her. Of course I chose Buk. He was better company and never asked me to help with the dishes.
My only touch with reality then was my good friend Billy Roberts, who , often would email me saying NOOOOOOOOOOO. My friends talked about a Bukowski intervention sort of like on the Sopranos where they would kick me repeatedly and leave me for dead if I continued buying but I was undaunted. Fuck them I thought,"They never read Ham on Rye." Then I did something I pledged I never would do since I told my children, when Dad passes on. Do not sell my Buk stuff at a garage sale-for $5 apiece and even if the spoiled little boy on a stipend offers you an ungodly amount, piss on all things Buk before you sell to him----Choosing to pay back a loan from my 90 year old mother to buy Buk-I sold one of my one of a kind art pieces to the spoiled one.
This is the only time the great human being and publisher (when he publishes me) Billy Roberts was proven wrong. Billy said, "Ross....the Prick(my words not his-Bill is domesticated) will never buy from you-he hates you." Knowing that....the Prick would buy from the Devil for Buk I sold it-he bought it and thanked me." So can anyone spare me a dime so I can bid on the next Ebay auction. "What? What do you mean -no asshole?"
bospress.net
www.bospress.net
Welcome home Ross!
That e-mail is vintage Runfola!
If anyone is interested, check out his site for writing and etc. Especially great is the "man on the street". Ross interviewing people and asking them stunning questions. For a tv show in Buffalo. If you have high speed, it is quite something to see.
All best,
Bill (the SOMETIMES prick!)
That e-mail is vintage Runfola!
If anyone is interested, check out his site for writing and etc. Especially great is the "man on the street". Ross interviewing people and asking them stunning questions. For a tv show in Buffalo. If you have high speed, it is quite something to see.
All best,
Bill (the SOMETIMES prick!)
