Rare Book of the Day – Junkie, William S. Burroughs. Signed First Edition.
This one is a personal favorite in my collection. Whether you enjoy reading him or not, William S. Burroughs' influence is undeniable. Born in 1914 to a wealthy family in Missouri, he left home to study English and anthropology at Harvard, and later briefly attended medical school in Vienna. He had started writing at an early age, but didn't publish anything until his 30s. In one of those fateful serendipitous events that change the culture, in 1943 while living in New York, Burroughs befriended Jack Kerouac and Allen Ginsberg. Out of their mutual influence grew the foundation of the Beat Generation.
Junkie is a semi-autobiographical novel about a heroin addict living in New York City that was first published under Burroughs' pen name William Lee. Burroughs chronicles the events and struggles in the daily life of a heroin addict, rather than the psychoactive thrills of being high. As he remarks in the preface, "Junk is not a means to increased enjoyment of life. Junk is not a kick. It is a way of life." Like the majority of the author's works, Junkie is comprised of a series of vignettes, but the text is easily one of the most linear texts of Burroughs' writing; the author had not yet fully developed his cut-and-paste methodology that would shape his later works. This one is incredibly rare, even without the signature.
Signature:
Burroughs looking cool:
More info here:
http://www.rarebooksleuth.com/featured/junkie-william-s-burroughs-signed-first-edition-first-printing
Very cool. I read Naked Lunch in college. It didn't take with me. Maybe I'll try this one.
Resteemed
Naked Lunch is a tough one. And thanks for the resteem!
I actually preferred this one as a read, @mctiller. More linear, less cut-up.
This is definitely a treasure, @rarebooksleuth, thanks for sharing: Love when they put pulp covers on works of literature, and amazing to have that autograph.
Here's me:
"Wait...Neil Strauss just replied to me, oh and he gave me a book recommendation...Totally normal.."
@neilstrauss A treasure indeed. It was printed back to back with another pulp, The Narcotic Agent. Here's the other side:
What do you like about these guys? The Beats seemed to care more about what they represented than what they actually wrote.
Not a fan, so serious and braggy. Constantly showcasing their debaucheries... gets old.
When I read "Howl" all I can picture is that 9th grade English student who considers himself "A Nonconformist".
They were pretty influential for me during my formative years. Breaking out of the intellectual confines of suburban life and all that jazz...Also their Eastern leanings prompted me to explore that philosophy, which I'm fond of. But I hear ya, it's not for everyone. Yet their influence can't be denied.
Great review and the book cover was a walk on the wild side. Nice post:)