Updated Bibliography on Charles Bukowski (1 Viewer)

bospress.net

www.bospress.net
Hi,
Does anyone on this fine forum have a list of all Bukowski "A" items SINCE Krumhansl was released? I assume that since Black Sparrow closed its doors, there will be no attempt to update the biblio officially. It is much easier (and less expensive) to collect these before they are sold out from the publishers. If anyone has a list, maybe we can work on it to see how complete we can get it. I'm not talking about a bibliography, but just a list of all items in the last 7 years. Anyone interested? I have started a list that has many of the items that I know of. I may be missing a few, but not many. So far, I have:

1999 Crime and Punishment (Broadside) BSP
1999 Reach For The Sun (Book of Letters) BSP
1999 What Matters Most Is How (Book of Poems) BSP2000 Popcorn In The Dark (NYG) BSP
2000 A Dead Romance (Matchbook Poem) BSP
2000 My Fate (Matchbook Poem) BSP
2000 Dark Night Poem (Matchbook Poem) BSP
2000 Remembering Hank on his 80th (Broadside) BSP
2000 Open All Night (Book of Poems) BSP
2001 Pink Silks (NYG) BSP
2001 I Pour A Drink & Toast Love (Postcard) BSP
2001 Beerspit Night and Cursing (Book of Letters) BSP
2001 The Night Torn Mad With Footsteps (Book of Poems) BSP
2001 Democracy (Broadside) X-Ray Book Co.
2002 The Simple Truth (NYG) BSP
2002 Be Cool, Fool (Broadside) X-Ray Book Co.
2003 afternoons into night (Broadside) Bottle of Smoke Press
2003 Bukowski (Book of Photographs) BSP
2003 Poop (Broadside) X-Ray Book Co.
2003 Waste (Broadside) X-Ray Book Co.
2003 My Cats (Broadside) Verdant Press
2003 So You Want To Be A Writer? (Broadside) Ecco
2003 Sifting Through The Madness (Book of Poems) ECCO
2003 Remembering Hank on his 83rd (Broadside) ECCO
2003 as buddha smiles (Box of Mini-Broadsides) Bottle of Smoke Press
2004 The Flash of Lightning (Book of Poems) ECCO
2004 Our Bones (Broadside) X-Ray Book Co.
2005 Slouching Toward Nirvana (Book of Poems) ECCO
2005 I Shot The Cat (Broadside) X-Ray Book Co.
2005 Let's Have Some Fun (Broadside) X-Ray Book Co.
2005 Celebrating Hank on His 85th Birthday (Broadside) ECCO
2005 Coffee And Babies (Broadside) Bottle of Smoke Press
2006 Come On In! (Book of Poems) ECCO
2006 Advice for Some Young Man In The Year 2064 AD (Broadside) Bottle of Smoke Press

I'm sure that there is something that I've missed and this seems to be the forum that would know!

All best,
Bill
 
The new database has a broadsides table, so we'll be able to add a lot of things that "don't fit" in the current database. Everything you've got here will go in (do you know publishers on these broadsides?).

It's possible to add a flag to db entries indicating "A" (primary publication) items if we can maintain such a list. That way you could display the current A list easily.

On a related note, I had to establish 1994 as the cut off date for magazine appearances though. It's already madness (and almost certainly impossible) trying to log everything published during his lifetime. I really didn't want to add "poems published during his lifetime, plus the rest of my lifetime" to that job. ;)

So anything you've got that's 94 or earlier that doesn't come up in the database, send it to the "contact" link on the left.


I know, I talk about the database too much. But it's the best way to track these things. A lot of you have sent me info for the database that hasn't yet been added, but it will be. And once the new db goes live I'm sure there will be some things I've missed. But I'm confident now with the pool of knowledge here that we'll be able to put together something very impressive and as comprehensive as is possible short of insanity...
 
Hi mjp,
I edited the post with publishers. Also, Jim Camp at Synasthesia Press published a small broadside in VOLTA 1. I know that hwe is now on the list. What year and month did that come out? That is a VERY tough one to come by....
Bill
 
I think the term "A" item needs to be defined. I think Dorbin did it best - not establishing a definition for "A" items, but organizing/breaking down the Buk stuff into A, B, C, and D items for this bibliography.

None of what I've ever published containing work by Buk is an A item, and if it did fall into that category, it certainly would never have been authorized as such - i.e., it would have been a bootleg.

I won't comment on any other publisher's work, or what/how they classify the work they have published.

Volta 1 contained a short poem printed on orange cardstock. It was never authorized by Martin; however, Volta 1, as well as future Voltas, were/will be given away. You cannot buy them. 50 copies of Volta 1 were published, and I didn't make any more copies of the Buk poem beyond that. My purpose wasn't to make a Buk item that stood by itself...it was part of Volta.

I hope I'm making sense here.

Volta 2, almost completed, has a Buk poem in it as well. 100 copies will b made. John Martin, in his infinte kindness, gave me 5 or 6 more poems, so Bukowsi poems will appear in Volta through issue #6.

I just wish I could find the time to finish the work.
 
synaesthesia.press said:
I think the term "A" item needs to be defined.
Yes, please. How did Dorbin define the letter grades? cirerita sent me a text copy of Dorbin years ago but I can't find it now.

I'll admit my ignorance as far as bibliographies go - the "A" classification always baffled me. I understand a primary publication, but Krumhansl muddied the waters by including some of what he considered "historically important." It all makes my head spin. ;)
 
Well, if I'm not mistaken, there's some pretty concrete standards. I'm not a bibliographer, so I don't know. I don't have Dorbin's book, either!
 
remember the title of the poem which appeared in Volta #1? And, for that matter, the one which will appear in Volta #2?
 
Hi,
I'm certainly no bibliographer, either, but I used the same qualifications that Krumhansl used in that list. If I extrapolate, then the broadside by Jim Camp would qualify as long as it was authorized. I also am baffled by the the "Historically significant" label. In my uneducated opinion, "Grip the Walls" (A13) should NOT be included. For that matter, neither should "Signature (1 & 2)" (A4 & A5), "A Charles Bukowski Album" (A6), as they were offprints for the author's personal use ONLY and are far too limited. Also, "A Fine Man, A Fine Book" (A73) was excerpts from Post Office and was published 11 years after the book was published. Also, "Penny Poetry/The Priest & The Matador" (A10) was a bootleg, so that should probably not be there.

I'd love to hear the opinions of the more learned of those on this fine list....

Best,
Bill

Hi mjp,
I edited the post with publishers. Also, Jim Camp at Synasthesia Press published a small broadside in VOLTA 1. I know that hwe is now on the list. What year and month did that come out? That is a VERY tough one to come by....
Bill


Hi,
His website www.chapbooks.org seems to have been "taken" by someone in Germany. Does anyone here know if he is still publishing. He did some great work. It would be sad to see him stop printing.

Bill
 
I have this list in my database. But I also have some items pre 1999 that Krumhansl overlooked or chose to leave out.

1988 OH YES Mass transit poster
1994 IF WE TAKE Broadside
1998 A BUKOWSKI POETRY CONTEST prints "If We Take"
1993 The Invisible Man Broadside
1994 A FRIENDLY PLACE Broadside
1995 Three more by Bukowski (The Luck Of The Draw, Writing, Final Score)
1999 REACH FOR THE SUN
1999 WHAT MATTERS MOST IS HOW WELL YOU WALK THROUGH THE FIRE
1999 CRIME AND PUNISHMENT
2000 ROLL THE DICE
2000 A DEAD ROMANCE
2000 MY FATE
2000 DARK NIGHT POEM
2000 OPEN ALL NIGHT
2000 REMEMBERING HANK ON HIS 80TH BIRTHDAY
2000 BEERSPIT NIGHT AND CURSING
2000 POPCORN IN THE DARK
2001 HARBOUR FREEWAY SOUTH
2001 I POUR A DRINK AND TOAST LOVE
2001 DEMOCRACY
2001 THE NIGHT TORN MAD WITH FOOTSTEPS
2001 PINK SILKS
2001 SO YOU WANT TO BE A WRITER
2001 SIFTING THROUGH THE MADNESS FOR THE WORD, THE LINE, THE WAY
2002 BE COOL, FOOL
2002 BUKOWSKI
2002 THE SIMPLE TRUTH
2002 RIMBAUD BE DAMNED
2003 AFTERNOON INTO NIGHT
2003 MY CATS
2003 POOP
2003 AS BUDDHA SMILES
2004 REMEMBERING HANK ON HIS 83RD BIRTHDAY
2004 THE FLASH OF LIGHTNING BEHIND THE MOUNTAIN
2005 LET'S HAVE SOME FUN
2005 COFFEE AND BABIES
2005 I SHOT THE CAT
2005 SLOUCHING TOWARD NIRVANA
2005 CELEBRATING HANK ON HIS 85TH BIRTHDAY
2006 COME ON IN!
2006 ADVICE FOR SOME YOUNG MAN IN THE YEAR 2064
2007 THE PEOPLE LOOK LIKE FLOWERS AT LAST
 
Boab,
What are the details on "I Shot The Cat"? I'm not sure that I have ever seen that. Also, what is the story on "Rimbaud Be Damned"? Was that part of an anthology?

On the Pre-1999 items, you may be right on some like "Oh, Yes". I do know that "if We Take" was a reprint of a poem that had been printed in many books. I have asked people about this before, and by the rules of abibliography, this would not count. It was a tribute broadside, but not an "A" item. That would mean that the same would apply to the Buk poetry contest II broadside. That is what I was told, anyway.

There are many rules that apploy to Bibliography and I am not versed on them all. There are reasons, for example, that the Factotum broadside is not listed. It only contains ordering info and no new material.

It is all very interesteing. Maybe I should read up on it more.

Best,
Bill
 
What are the details on "I Shot The Cat"? I'm not sure that I have ever seen that. Also, what is the story on "Rimbaud Be Damned"? Was that part of an anthology?

On the Pre-1999 items, you may be right on some like "Oh, Yes". I do know that "if We Take" was a reprint of a poem that had been printed in many books. I have asked people about this before, and by the rules of abibliography, this would not count. It was a tribute broadside, but not an "A" item. That would mean that the same would apply to the Buk poetry contest II broadside. That is what I was told, anyway.

Bill
I Shot The Cat is a very small broadside that came as part of X-ray magazine no. 10. I have shot a scan to mjp, so it may appear on the miscellany page some time.
Rimbaud Be Damned is a book (sort of) put out by Steve Richmond which is actually called - "Rimbaud Be Damned: I have withstood 99,000 seasons in hell and I still look down into this glass wondering, wondering."
It is a reprint from EARTH #1 (1965). It is a 17 page poem (!) and the book contains letters, drawings, an essay and other poems by Buk much in the same fashion as "All's Normal Here".
An A item? I don't know.
Oh Yes is cool - a poster like Roll The Dice, only bigger.
If We Take has definitely appeared elsewhere and if Krumhansl can include A Buk Poetry Contest so can I ;)
I guess I was more concerned with an accurate catolgue of my stuff and when it came to ascribing 'primary' status to some items and not others, these pieces passed muster.
It's a bloody mess though - matchbooks as A items?
I don't know...
 
Hi,
OK. This makes sense. I have "I shot the cat". It is tough trying to consider where to cut it all off. I have the same problem. It will be interesting to see if future bibliographers consider matchbooks as "A" items. I had not thought about that. I suppose that if a bookmark is an "A" item then a matchbook with an original poem would qualify.

On "Rimbaud"... Any idea where I could pick that one up? Nothing on abe....

Best,
Bill
 
Rimbaud be damned... also appeared as the lead item of the surely infamous cirerita press-less series #1, limited to 23 copies I believe... maybe I imagined it

:D
 
For the life of me, I can't remember how I came accross Rimbaud Be Damned, although I suspect it must have been ABE - where else?
You could try to contact Steve Richmond - if your dials can be set to that frequency!

And speaking of 'A' items - the biggest wank would have to be Cooneys New Year Card - an piece of paper folded in 4 and printed in the most rudimentry way. Limited to 70 (75?) copies and I was daft enough to buy one (cheap, at least) ...but really, Krumhansl was reaching there!
 
And speaking of 'A' items - the biggest wank would have to be Cooneys New Year Card - an piece of paper folded in 4 and printed in the most rudimentry way. Limited to 70 (75?) copies and I was daft enough to buy one (cheap, at least) ...but really, Krumhansl was reaching there!

BoaB,

Limited to 75 copies, and yes, it is easily MY least favorite "A" item.

Bill
 
I think many of us are hoping for just that!...and it must be with recycled ink on cheap paper...:D
 

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