I was intrigued by the faded spine issue, and since I happen to own this limited first, I decided to study my own copy. In the forty years that I've owned this book, I've never bothered to examine the spine for fading. I bought it at Baroque Books, down the street from where I managed a classical sheet music store. $35.00, mint, as Red received it from Black Sparrow. Red did not have it in the window at any time (he never put any of his more expensive books in the window, as he knew about sun damage), and I can confirm with certitude that it went to Baroque Books directly from Black Sparrow. I had had my eyes on that book for at least a year, hemming and hawing because in those days, I had to work an entire day to pay for it. In checking my copy, I see that the spine is also faded. The book is in MINT condition, however; I had a paperback trade edition as my "reading" copy. The attached image shows the pristine condition. I am inclined to think that exposure to ordinary room light caused the fading, because my copy has never seen direct sunlight and has been housed in glass-door book case in a fairly dark room.
I did a quick Google search and found a copy at a local (relatively local) bookstore in Altadena for $3750, from a bookseller by the name of Whitmore Rare Books. I did a little more searching and found another listing from a "Captain Ahab Rare Books." This one is priced at $6250, evidently because the rare prospectus is laid-in. But this one evidenty has "a touch of very faint, scattered foxing." I'm baffled as to why any copy of this book would have foxing, given that it is printed on acid-free paper. Here's their description:
POST OFFICE - WITH THE RARE PUBLISHER'S PROSPECTUS
Bukowski, Charles
Los Angeles: Black Sparrow Press, 1971. First Printing. About Fine in the original acetate wrapper; a touch of very faint, scattered foxing to the upper edge of the textblock and upper board edges, else Fine. This is number 162 of 250 copies signed by Bukowski on the colophon page. This copy comes with the very rare publisher's prospectus, measuring 5.5 X 7 inches, letterpress printed in navy blue and red on light blue paperstock. The prospectus bears a single 1.5 inch tear, and ten unnecessary pieces of tape have been expertly removed from the margins. Despite the flaws, a rare piece of paper which seldom turns...
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Price: 6250.00 USD
If only Buk could be here to see this astronomical pricing of his book. Same applies to my old friend Red Stodolsky. I don't know what to make of the whole thing, really. There is more than a little irony here. I guess I managed to pick a winner, because I was a regular at Red's store, picking up signed firsts of Bukowski whenever I could manage it. When I ponder all those years that he had to work at horrific dayjobs, until John Martin walked into his life and changed everything...it boggles the mind...
