2 copies, 1st and 2nd printings. Unpaginated. Illustrated from photographs. 28x21.5 cm (11x8½"), blue pictorial wrappers, in a black cloth pressure binder. Lenny Bruce’s self-published first book. Pseudo-biography, photos, and a long satirical article “The Pot Smokers” lampooning that era’s ignorance and fear of smoking marijuana. Bruce occasionally sold copies at his shows but he gave most of the initial print run to Lawrence Ferlinghetti to sell at his City Lights bookstore in San Francisco. After Bruce’s obscenity arrests in San Francisco and Los Angeles, he reprinted the booklet with some of its profanity x'd out and asked Ferlinghetti to destroy the remaining original copies. True first editions are scarce; many booksellers who have sold "first edition" copies were unaware that two printings exist. The first printing copy has some inked notations inside the back cover about setting the books out for display at concerts. Some of this may be in Bruce’s hand but it is probably by an assistant and no warranty is given. Included is a vintage “photocopied” table card with the $2-dollar selling price.
2 copies, 1st and 2nd printings. Unpaginated. Illustrated from photographs. 28x21.5 cm (11x8½"), blue pictorial wrappers, in a black cloth pressure binder. Lenny Bruce’s self-published first book. Pseudo-biography, photos, and a long satirical article “The Pot Smokers” lampooning that era’s ignorance and fear of smoking marijuana. Bruce occasionally sold copies at his shows but he gave most of the initial print run to Lawrence Ferlinghetti to sell at his City Lights bookstore in San Francisco. After Bruce’s obscenity arrests in San Francisco and Los Angeles, he reprinted the booklet with some of its profanity x'd out and asked Ferlinghetti to destroy the remaining original copies. True first editions are scarce; many booksellers who have sold "first edition" copies were unaware that two printings exist. The first printing copy has some inked notations inside the back cover about setting the books out for display at concerts. Some of this may be in Bruce’s hand but it is probably by an assistant and no warranty is given. Included is a vintage “photocopied” table card with the $2-dollar selling price.
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.jpg "Source: Christie's")
.jpg "Source: Christie's")
