Jed Birmingham on William S. Burroughs Collecting

An Installment in Jed Birmingham’s series on the The Greatest Burroughs Collectors. #3 is Barry Miles.

The pipe dream of every book collector is that at some point you will acquire a collection and an expertise so extensive that you will be able to retire from your mundane 9-to-5 and be the curator of your own collection. The integrity of the collection is maintained. The financial reward does not come from the auction house and the dispersal of the collection. Organizing, maintaining, and supplementing one’s collection become one’s occupation. Don’t laugh. It happens.  

Roger Wendlick is maybe the most interesting example. Bookseller Jeff Maser hipped me to Wendlick when I was talking to him about my proposed list. Wendlick was a construction worker out of Portland, Oregon, who laid sewer lines of all things, never went to college, and amassed the greatest Lewis and Clark collection of all time. He also never married which helps a great deal. It is a true rags-to-riches story, something out of Horatio Alger. 

In 1986, Wendlick inherited from his grandmother a Lewis and Clark souvenir plate, which kickstarted an obsession to acquire anything and everything that dealt with the famous explorers. As I mentioned in my introduction you do not have to be rich to build a world-class collection; you must merely be willing to spend every single penny you do have on your collection. Or even the pennies you don’t have. Wendlick ran up debt on nine credit cards and refinanced his house three times all to the tune of well over $100,000. His obsession and the resulting financial pressure became overwhelming. He slept with a shotgun by his bed to protect his collection, thus the title of his memoir, Shotgun on My Chest: Memoir of a Lewis and Clark Book Collector. Wendlick sensed he was at the end of his rope and was approaching the limit of his collecting as he had acquired nearly all there was to acquire. Then the miraculous happened. Lewis and Clark College offered Wendlick a sweetheart deal: $375,000 in cash and $30,000 a year for a decade in compensation for curating his collection in the library. The day after the sale Wendlick quit his job in construction and became a full-time expert on Lewis and Clark. His passion and obsession became his occupation. A collector’s dream come true.

Barry Miles is the Burroughs equivalent of Roger Wendlick. Miles is in essence a Burroughs collector who made good. Books and book collecting are at his essence. He got his start in counterculture London as a bookman at Better Books and Indica Gallery. Working there put him in a unique position to rub shoulders with all manner of celebrities from William Burroughs to Paul McCartney. It also put him in prime position to acquire books and magazines coming out of the global counterculture. He edited little magazines like Long Hair and helped gather recordings for the ill-faded Zapple label. As a collector and bookman, his greatest achievement was the collating and indexing of the Burroughs archive. Miles:  

It has been a long time since I assembled these folders, but, generally speaking, I would say that I created the vast majority of the folders, but that Bill in many cases then labelled them and in some cases moved material around from one to another. I assembled all the correspondence files. Of the 168 manuscript files, I probably created about 125 of them, of which Bill then suggested labels for about a third of them when we had our daily identification sessions. The final file, folio 169, was the folder in which I put material to file. The fact that those sheets were not filed is simply because there was not room to spread out the folders: they were all stacked away at the end of each day so that Bill could use his living room/bedroom. Folders already completed were piled up in the cupboard. These last remaining items were just called miscellaneous as the folders they belonged in were probably already packed in boxes. Anyone who has experience of cataloguing archives will recognise that the last ten or so folders were things that had been set aside for later, in the hope of finding more material for them, or else they were things that did not easily fit, such as Folio 163 which was a box of objects.

The descriptive catalog, which in large part is the work of Miles, is in my opinion the greatest Burroughs collectible of them all. I wonder to what extent Miles influenced the catalogue’s design. Peter Juerges writes: “I was the designer and graphics technician from Covent Garden Press, back in 72/73, that worked with Richard Aaron and the guys melding this mammoth archive into a printable, publishable tome.” I assume Miles was more than just one of the guys and maybe the major guy. In any case, Miles collected Burroughs and then created the ultimate Burroughs collectible, which in turn became the foundation for one of the great Burroughs collections. Miles was not just content to acquire. He contextualized and created. The hallmarks of a great collector.

Over time as his Burroughs collection grew, so too did his friendship with and knowledge of the man he collected. Miles parlayed this into a role as a man about town and expert on the counterculture, particularly on Burroughs. He wrote extensively on Burroughs, most recently the doorstop Call Me Burroughs biography, and has become a Burroughs talking head the world over. Burroughs collecting began as a passion for Miles and, like with Wendick, it became the basis for his career.  

Most scholars, being serious readers, are generally book collectors, particularly in their area of expertise. So, it would not be surprising if Oliver Harris possesses a serious Burroughs collection and if he in essence makes a living from that collection and working with Burroughs collections generally. Yet even if Harris has an extensive collection, I would place Miles above him as a collector. Harris is a trained professional and scholar; his expertise has its foundation in academic training at the university. Miles is basically an amateur who became an expert in large part from his experience as a bookman and Burroughs collector. As an amateur Burroughs scholar, I aspire to be Harris, but it was Miles who was the most inspirational.

If a collector aspires to become an expert on that which he collects, then the bibliography is the dissertation upon which he states his claim on total knowledge. Having a definitive bibliography based on one’s collection is one of the highest honors that can be bestowed on a collector. This is another primary fantasy that drives a collector in his obsession. Writing that bibliography is even more prestigious and fantastic. There are several Burroughs bibliographies, and I will get to them later but the bibliography by Maynard & Miles is the gold standard. There is a level of bibliographic detail and rigor that the other bibliographies just can’t match. The others are basically just checklists. Like the Descriptive Catalogue, Maynard & Miles is full of information of the type you would find in a Burroughs biography. For example, the entry on APO-33 does more than merely provide publication dates and numbers of copies printed. It is a mini-history with a pinch of gossip tossed in for spice. For any serious Burroughs collector, it is both Baedeker and Bible. For me, the best parts of Miles’ biographies on Burroughs are when he talks about books, bookstores, and bibliographic details. I would love to see Miles attempt a descriptive bibliography of Burroughs that mixes biography, anecdote, gossip, and memoir with bibliographic history of publishers, publications, and presses. If anyone could attempt it, it would be Miles.  

You grow up as a Burroughs collector getting everything listed in M&M and then you spend the rest of your maturity searching for everything that is not listed in it. It is a testament to how complete and well-researched that bibliography is that finding something not listed in it carries such a charge for other collectors and bibliographers. That magic feeling fueled the collecting of Brian Schottlaender and Eric Shoaf. No slouches in the Burroughs collecting department.  

Miles is not the first Burroughs collector, and he does not have the most comprehensive or interesting collection, but it could be argued that Miles through his writings on Burroughs, especially his bibliographies, inspired more Burroughs collectors than anyone else, besides Burroughs himself. If Burroughs is the god of Burroughs collecting, Miles is one of his greatest disciples. Miles mapped the territory and then challenged those who came after him to go beyond his horizons to find new undiscovered worlds. Roger Wendlick may have placed a shotgun by his bed, but most Burroughs collectors possess a copy of Miles’ bibliography on their bedside table. Despite what you see on Facebook, Burroughs collectors and guns don’t mix. Miles did not just collect Burroughs; he wrote the book on the subject. For Burroughs collectors, Maynard & Miles remains one of the most entertaining books about Burroughs and one of the most influential.  

by Eric C. Shoaf

1974

1. The Expatriate Review No. 4 (Winter/Spring 1974), Burroughs contributes “Cold Lost Marbles” bound in wraps.

2. National Lampoon February 1974, Burroughs contributes “Strange Sex We Have Known” with co-author Terry Southern, bound in wraps.

3. Rolling Stone Magazine February 28, 1974, Burroughs interviews David Bowie, printed on fragile newsprint, folded as issued.

4. The Story So Far #3 (Toronto: Coach House Press, 1974), Burroughs contributes “The Health Officer” in the first publication of this Burroughs story. Limited to 1,500 copies in wraps.

5. Doris #4 (UK: August 1974), Burroughs contributes “Letter Out of Nowhere” bound in wraps.

6. The Black Mask #1 (August 1974), science fiction magazine prints a letter from Burroughs, bound in wraps.

7. Venice Sideshow September 1974, Burroughs contributes an excerpt from The Yage Letters, tabloid style in wraps.

8. L’angoisse (no date: 1974) a French publication featuring S. Clay Wilson, R. Oghia, J.P. Coureuil, and others. Burroughs contributes “Le President” (Roosevelt After Inauguration), bound in wraps.

9. The Poetry Project Newsletter #18 (October 1, 1974) Burroughs contributes one untitled piece on rear cover “a man of letters…” mimeographed sheets, stapled at top.

10. The Berkeley Barb November 1, 1974, special Burroughs issue includes “Do Not Disturb the Mongrels” by Burroughs as well as recollections of Burroughs by Ginsberg, photos, and a comic strip from S. Clay Wilson, printed on fragile newsprint, bound in wraps. 

11. Bastard Angel #3 (Fall 1974), Burroughs contributes “Cut Throat Trout” bound in wraps.

1975

12. Harper’s March 1975, Burroughs contributes a response to the query “When Did You Stop Wanting to be President?” bound in wraps.

13. Crawdaddy June 1975, Burroughs interviews Jimmy Page of the band Led Zeppelin, bound in wraps.

14. L’Energumene No. 6-7 (1975), Burroughs contributes “William Burroughs Histoire” text in French, bound in wraps with tissue dust jacket. A short-lived French literary journal, published quarterly and edited by Gerard-Julien Salvy, with 13 issues ultimately issued. Colophon calls for collected annual volumes in a numbered/lettered edition of 125 copies each, but there were apparently none of these published.

15. Bananas #2 (London: Summer 1975), Burroughs contributes “Burroughs on Guns” in this tabloid. It is not completely clear whether Burroughs submitted this as a manuscript or whether he is being quoted by an unnamed author. At any rate, printed on fragile newsprint and bound in wraps.  

16. Crawdaddy August 1975, this is the first appearance of Burroughs’ column entitled “Time of the Assassins” which appeared regularly through November 1977, bound in wraps. Much as was the case with his regular Mayfair column in the late 1960s, this provided Burroughs with a regular income when his book publishing efforts were minimal.

17. Crawdaddy September 1975, Burroughs contributes his column “Time of the Assassins” bound in wraps.

18. People Magazine September 29, 1975, Burroughs contributes a quote from The Last Words of Dutch Schultz which had just been released by Viking, also includes profile of Burroughs with several photographs, bound in wraps.

19. Crawdaddy October 1975, Burroughs contributes his column “Time of the Assassins” bound in wraps.

20. File Magazine Autumn 1975 (Toronto: Vol. 3 no. 1) Burroughs contributes “It Looks Like Measles, Doctor” bound in wraps.

21. Crawdaddy November 1975, Burroughs contributes his column “Time of the Assassins” bound in wraps.

22. Arcade-the Comics Revue #4 1975, Burroughs contributes “Fun City in Ba’Dan” illustrated by S. Clay Wilson. This is the first ever appearance of material that would form part of Cities of the Red Night, bound in pictorial wraps.

23. Crawdaddy December 1975, Burroughs contributes his column “Time of the Assassins” bound in wraps.

24. New Departures #7/8, 9/10 (London: 1975), Burroughs contributes a letter plus an untitled piece, bound in wraps.

25. After Dark (The National Magazine of Entertainment) December 1975 (Vo. 8 no. 8), Burroughs contributes “The Penny Arcade Peep Show” tabloid style magazine bound in wraps.

1976

26. Crawdaddy January 1976, Burroughs contributes his column “Time of the Assassins” bound in wraps.

27. Berkeley Barb #548 (February 13-19, 1976), Burroughs contributes “Perceptual cut-ups” about cut-up techniques in film. Bound in wraps.

28. Crawdaddy February 1976, Burroughs contributes his column “Time of the Assassins” bound in wraps.

29. Roof #1 1976, Burroughs contributes “Do-Rights” also articles by William Burroughs, Jr. and others, bound in wraps.

30. Crawdaddy March 1976, Burroughs contributes his column “Time of the Assassins” bound in wraps.

31. Kontexts #8 (Spring 1976), has four pages on Burroughs and Gysin including an excerpt from The Third Mind, limited to 500 copies, printed on fragile newsprint, bound in wraps.

32. Crawdaddy April 1976, Burroughs contributes his column “Time of the Assassins” bound in wraps.

33. Berkeley Barb # 559 (April-May 1976), Burroughs contributes “Legalize heroin!” bound in wraps.

34. Loka: A Journal from Naropa Institute #2 1976, Burroughs contributes “A Lecture” bound in wraps.

35. Crawdaddy May 1976, Burroughs contributes his column “Time of the Assassins” bound in wraps.

36. Tel Quel #66 (May 1976), Burroughs contributes “Cities of the Red Night” to this to this French literature journal, text in French, bound in wraps.

37. Crawdaddy June 1976, Burroughs contributes his column “Time of the Assasins” bound in wraps.

38. The World: A New York City Literary Magazine # 30 (New York: July 1976), contributions by Burroughs (twice), Ginsberg, Aram Saroyan, Jack Kerouac, and many others. Mimeo sheets in wrappers.

39. Crawdaddy July 1976, Burroughs contributes his column “Time of the Assassins” bound in wraps.

40. Intrepid 25-35 (A Decade & Then Some) ed. by Allen Deloach, Burroughs contributes “CCNY Lecture #11 – Writing as a Magical Operation” bound in wraps. Perhaps a “B” item, but numbered sequentially with other Intrepid issues.

41. Crawdaddy August 1976, Burroughs contributes his column “Time of the Assassins” bound in wraps.

42. Vile Magazine Summer 1976 (Vol. 1 no. 2), Burroughs contributes a reproduction of an untitled post card, bound in wraps. Actually the fourth issue produced, though numbered as above.

43. Crawdaddy September 1976, Burroughs contributes his column “Time of the Assassins” bound in wraps.

44. Crawdaddy October 1976, Burroughs contributes his column “Time of the Assassins” bound in wraps.

45. Rush October 1976 (Vol. 1 no. 1), Burroughs contributes “Cobble Stone Gardens” bound in wraps. A new pro-drug title intended to compete with High Times magazine.

46. Crawdaddy November 1976, Burroughs contributes his column “Time of the Assassins” bound in wraps.

47. Rush December 1976 (Vol. 1 no. 3), Burroughs contributes “Ah Pook is Here” illustrated by Malcolm McNeil in color, bound in wraps.

48. Crawdaddy December 1976, Burroughs contributes his column “Time of the Assassins” bound in wraps.

49. Lightworks December 1976, prints an interview with Burroughs, and he contributes “From Here to Eternity” bound in wraps with photo of Burroughs on the cover.

1977

50. Crawdaddy January 1977, Burroughs contributes his column “Time of the Assassins” bound in wraps.

51. In Touch #27 (January/February 1977), Burroughs contributes “California Men” to this gay bi-monthly mag, bound in wraps.

52. Crawdaddy February 1977, Burroughs contributes his column “Time of the Assassins” and also some introductory quotes to an article on writing along with Allen Ginsberg. Bound in wraps.

53. Christopher Street March 1977, Burroughs contributes “Junky” bound in wraps.

54. Soho News Weekly March 24-30, 1977 (New York: Vol. 4 no. 25), Burroughs contributes excerpts from Junky bound in wraps.

55. Crawdaddy March 1977, Burroughs contributes his column “Time of the Assassins” bound in wraps.

56. National Screw April 1977, Burroughs contributes “First Meetings: One Dozen Memories from the Files of William Burroughs” as told to Victor Bockris, printed on fragile newsprint, bound in wraps.  

57. Crawdaddy April 1977, Burroughs contributes his column “Time of the Assassins” bound in wraps.

58. Paris Review Spring 1977 (ed. by George Plimpton), Burroughs contributes “The Valley” which was later published as part of Junky, bound in wraps.

59. CoEvolution Quarterly Spring 1977, Burroughs contributes “Obeying Chogyam Trungpa” bound in wraps.

60. Crawdaddy May 1977, Burroughs contributes his column “Time of the Assassins” bound in wraps.

61. Shell 2/3 (Spring-Summer 1977), Burroughs contributes “Afterbirth of Dream Now” bound in wraps.

62. Crawdaddy June 1977, Burroughs contributes his column “Time of the Assassins” bound in wraps.

63. National Screw June 1977 Vol. 1 no. 7, Burroughs contributes “Los Ninos Locos” from Port of Saints. Allen Ginsberg also contributes, printed on newsprint tabloid style, bound in wraps.

64. Crawdaddy July 1977, Burroughs contributes his column “Time of the Assassins” bound in wraps.

65. Quest July 1977, Burroughs reviews a book on how to quit smoking, bound in wraps.

66. Travelers Digest Vol. 1 no. 1 (New York: Summer 1977), Burroughs contributes “Stopover in Madeira” consisting of 4 photographs taken by Burroughs, bound in wraps.

67. Crawdaddy August 1977, Burroughs contributes his column “Time of the Assassins” bound in wraps.

68. National Screw August 1977, Burroughs contributes “Day is Done” the title is now magazine-style (not tabloid as previous), bound in wraps.

69. Crawdaddy September 1977, Burroughs contributes his column “Time of the Assassins” bound in wraps.

70. Oui Magazine October 1977, Burroughs contributes “My Life on Orgone Boxes” bound in pictorial wraps.

71. Club Magazine October 1977, Burroughs contributes “The Health Officer” bound in pictorial wraps.

72. Crawdaddy October 1977, Burroughs contributes his column “Time of the Assassins” bound in wraps.

73. International Times October 22-28 [1977], Burroughs contributes “Perceptual Cut-Ups,” printed on fragile newsprint, bound in wraps. Published in Cambridge, MA and not related to the original publication edited by Barry Miles.

74. Transatlantic Review #60, Burroughs contributes “To Talk for Joe” in this final issue of the Transatlantic Review, bound in wraps.

75. Crawdaddy November 1977, Burroughs contributes his final column entitled “Time of the Assassins” bound in wraps with photo of Elvis on the cover.

76. New Times November 11, 1977, Burroughs contributes “Heroin Maintenance” bound in wraps.

77. Bombay Gin #4 (Boulder CO: Summer-Fall 1977), Burroughs contributes “Friday, Mary Celeste 17, 1970” issued in stapled wraps.

78. High Times Magazine December 1977, Burroughs contributes “M.O.B. – My Own Business” bound in wraps.

79. Travelers Digest Vol. 1 no. 2 (Winter 1977), Burroughs contributes “Letter to Kerouac” printed on newsprint, bound in wraps, folded as issued.

80. CoEvolution Quarterly Winter 1977-78, Burroughs contributes an excerpt from The Third Mind, bound in wraps.

81. Lightworks # 8/9 (Ann Arbor: [no date] 1977), Burroughs contributes “Take Nirvana from Time of the Assasins” bound in wraps.

82. The Australian Seed Vol. 1 no. 1 (no date: 1977), prints “William Burroughs on Heroin Use” printed on fragile newsprint, bound in wraps.

83. Mensuel [Not viewed] 1977 or 1978, Burroughs contributes to this French periodical, no other info available.

1978

84. Playgirl Magazine March 1978, Burroughs contributes “Women: A Biological Mistake?” bound in wraps.

85. Nachtmaschine No. 3 – Burroughs Special March 1978 (Basel, Switzerland), Burroughs contributes several selections, also Jürgen Ploog, Carl Weissner, Udo Breger, etc. One of 2,000 copies printed. Mimeographed sheets stapled on right side.

86. Blueboy April 1978, Burroughs contributes “Dear Allen…Love, Bill” from Letters to Allen Ginsberg, bound in wraps.

87. Roof #5 (New York: 1978), Burroughs contributes “815 Circle Dr.” bound in wraps.

88. Semiotext[e] Vol. 3 no. 2 (New York: Autonomedia), Burroughs contributes “The Limits of Control” bound in wraps.

89. The Blue Ridge Review #3 (Fall 1978), Burroughs contributes “It is Possible-World War III” also includes a lengthy review of the just-published Maynard & Miles bibliography on Burroughs, bound in wraps. 

90. Pearl No. 6 (Odense, Denmark: Fall/Winter 1978), Burroughs contributes “Fear and the Monkey, bound in wraps.

91. Street Magazine Issue 8 (Vol. II No. 4, 1978), prints a long excerpt from a conversation between Burroughs and Allen De Loach in February 1974, bound in wraps.

92. Cahiers Critiques de la Litterature #5 (Autumn 1978), Burroughs contributes “Cobble Stone Gardens” also includes an analysis of Burroughs work, bound in wraps.

93. Bombay Gin #6 (Summer 78-Spring 79), Burroughs contributes “Fear and the Monkey” bound in wraps.

1979

94. Circus Weekly January 9, 1979, Burroughs contributes a two-word quote in an article about the Nova Convention held in New York City, bound in wraps.

95. Ins and Outs Winter/Spring 1979 (Amsterdam), Burroughs contributes “To be continued…” to this special poetry issue entitled “Crippled Warlords” bound in wraps.

96. High Times Magazine March 1979, Burroughs contributes “Kerouac” his memoir of the Beat writer, bound in wraps.

97. CoEvolution Quarterly #21 (Spring 1979), Burroughs contributes a short quote concerning magazines to which he subscribes, bound in wraps.

98. Hi Life Magazine June 1979, Burroughs contributes quotes to “In the Bunker with Bill Burroughs,” bound in pictorial wraps.

99. New Edinburgh Review (Scotland) Summer 1979, Burroughs contributes “M.O.B.” bound in wraps.

100. High Times Magazine July 1979, Burroughs contributes “God’s Law” an opinion on Gay Rights, bound in pictorial wraps.

101. Gasolin 23 # 7 1979(?), undated German literary journal edited by cut-up maven Jurgen Ploog. Burroughs contributes “Sonntag, 17. August 1975” bound in wraps, scarce. Jeffrey Weinberg says he remembers this coming out in 1979 and he generally knows what he’s talking about.

102. High Times Magazine August 1979, Burroughs contributes “DE: My Super Efficiency System” bound in wraps.

103. International Times September 1979 (London: Vol. 5 no. 4), Burroughs quotes to “Loose Change: A Curious Tour of Amsterdam from Drugs to William Burroughs with a few Blow Jobs Thrown in for Laughs” by Eddie Woods. Not related to the original publication edited by Barry Miles. Bound in wraps.

104. Bananas #17 (London: Autumn 1979), Burroughs contributes an excerpt from “Ah Pook is Here” bound in wraps.

105. ppHoo July-September 1979, Burroughs contributes “The Cut Up Method of Brion Gysin” to this Indian periodical edited by Pradip Choudhuri (Ashokgarh, India: Subhas Ghose 1969), bound in wraps.

106. Blanco Otoño 1979 Burroughs contributes “Los Límites del control” to this Argentine intellectual journal, bound in wraps.

107. Der Tatler No. 1 (Santa Barbara CA, [no date] 1980), Burroughs contributes “Looking Out the Train Window” which is comprised of a photocopy of a manuscript page. This is a one-shot publication of stapled sheets limited to 32 numbered copies.

108. Rocky Ledge #3 (Boulder, CO: November 1979), Burroughs contributes “Wouldn’t You Polish Pine…?” bound in wraps.

109. Wet Magazine November 1979, Burroughs contributes quotes on language as a virus originally appearing in Harper’s Magazine as “Playback from Eden to Watergate” printed on fragile newsprint, bound in wraps.

110. Little Caesar #9 (Los Angeles: [no date] 1979), Burroughs contributes “Bugger the Queen” to this thick periodical guest-edited by Gerard Malanga, bound in wraps, publication limited to 600 copies.

111. Pequod Vol. 3 no. 2 (San Francisco: [no date] 1979), Burroughs contributes a brief excerpt from The Ticket That Exploded to this ephemeral journal, bound in wraps.

112. Starscrewer No. 0012. Edited by Lucien Suel – rue de Guarbecque, Berguette 62330 Isbergues (France) – [no date] 1979. Burroughs contributes “A bon entendeur, salut!” reprinted from Crawdaddy, text in French, bound in wraps.

1980

113. Rolling Stone Magazine January 24, 1980, Burroughs reviews the movie about Kerouac entitled “Heartbeat” printed on fragile newsprint, bound in wraps.

114. International Times January/February 1980 (Vol. 5 no. 5), Burroughs contributes “Bugger the Queen” printed on fragile newsprint, bound in wraps.  

115. Magazine Litteraire # 157 (Paris: February 1980), Burroughs contributes “The Limits of Control” to this special issue devoted to Beat writing and writers, all in French, bound in wraps. 

116. Wet Magazine March 1980, Burroughs contributes “New Lines” a short poem from Dream Machines, printed on fragile newsprint, bound in wraps.

117. Alternate Issue 12 (now subtitled “The American Magazine for Grown Up Gays”) March/April 1980, Burroughs contributes an excerpt from Port of Saints, bound in wraps.

118. New Music News May 24, 1980 (Vol. 1 no. 3), Burroughs contributes quotes to “Dinner with Blondie and William Burroughs” by Victor Bockris which is in an interview format, a British title apparently published while New Musical Express was on hiatus, printed on fragile newsprint, folded as issued.

119. Vague Magazine #16/17 (London: 1980), Burroughs contributes “Cut-Up” with Brion Gysin, bound in wraps.

120. Boiled Owl (San Francisco: 1980) Burroughs contributes “The Pop Corn Kid” with a 3-panel S. Clay Wilson illustration, large over-sized publication bound in wraps, undated except copyright page.

1981

121. Heavy Metal February 1981, Burroughs contributes “Civilian Defense” bound in pictorial wraps.

122. File Magazine March 1981 (Canada: Vol. 5 no. 1), Burroughs contributes “Cities of the Red Night” bound in wraps.

123. Heavy Metal May 1981, Burroughs contributes “Immortality” bound in pictorial wraps.

124. Art Press Magazine #48 Mai 1981, Burroughs contributes “Les Voleurs,” bound in wraps.

125. High Times Magazine July 1981, Burroughs contributes “Cities of the Red Night” a book excerpt illustrated by Ralph Steadman, bound in wraps.

126. The Rocket July 1981 (Seattle WA), Burroughs contributes “The Popcorn Kid” to this monthly Seattle arts and entertainment tabloid, with illustrations by S. Clay Wilson. Also includes a review, by Robert Ferrigno, of two audio recordings by Burroughs, printed on fragile newsprint, bound in wraps.

127. This is Important #3 (Santa Cruz: Illuminati 1981), Burroughs contributes an untitled piece to this tiny periodical, folded and bound in wraps.

128. Mediums ed. By Janet Byrne and Jody Volen (New York: 1981), first (only?) issue of this annual literary publication. Burroughs contributes “Pages from Scrapbook 3” bound in wraps.

129. Spit in the Ocean #6 (Pleasant Hill, Oregon: SITO, 1981), a serial edited by Ken Kesey and published intermittently at no set date. This is the “Neal Cassidy Issue” and Burroughs contributes “Two Things I Remember” bound in silver pictorial wrappers.

130. Luna Park #7 (Bruxelles 1981), Burroughs contributes “Scrapbook: Mal vu Mal Dit (extrait)”, French text, bound in wraps.

1982

131. RE/Search #4/5 William S. Burroughs Number, (San Francisco: 1982), Burroughs contributes the Introduction, also interview excerpts, music, pop culture, etc. Bound in wraps. This might be considered a ‘B’ item, but the title was regularly published as a serial.

132. Trouser Press Magazine February 1982, Burroughs contributes “Devo Meets William Burroughs” where WSB interviews members of the rock band. While it is not completely clear that the interview is actually conducted by Burroughs, he does ask the first question. Bound in wraps.

133. NME Magazine April 3, 1982 (UK: New Music Express), Burroughs contributes “Beat Meets Blank” a reprint of the interview with Devo, printed on fragile newsprint, bound in wraps.

134. Semiotext(e) Vol. 4 no. 2, Burroughs contributes “Exterminating” bound in wraps.

135. Stereo Headphones No. 8-10 1982, Burroughs contributes a facsimile reproduction of the typescript of “The Future of the Novel” a magazine published in Australia and bound in wraps, limited to 1,000 copies.

136. Rampike Vol. 2 no. 3, Burroughs contributes “The Place of Dead Roads” bound in wraps.

137. DADA/Surrealism #10/11 (1982), Burroughs contributes several lengthy excerpts in “Freedom and Control in the Erotic Novel” by Arnold Weinstein, bound in wraps.

138. Beyond the Pale #2 (1982?), Burroughs contributes excerpts reproduced from Re/Search #5 (see above) to this British publication, bound in wraps. 

139. Grinning Idiot Literary Magazine (NY: 1982), Burroughs contributes “Heavily Muscled Randy Scott” and “Sung by the…” bound in wraps.

140. Poetry London/Apple Magazine No. 2 (1982), Burroughs contributes an excerpt of his address at the Planet Earth Conference from 1980 to “Deconstruction of the Countdown: A Space Age Mythology by Theatre of All Possibilities and William Burroughs,” UK publication bound in wraps.

1983

141. New Departures #15 (London: 1983), Burroughs contributes “Selections from The Place of Dead Roads” also includes photos and sketches of Burroughs, bound in wraps.

142. The Review of Contemporary Fiction Summer 1983, Burroughs contributes “Kerouac” to this special Jack Kerouac issue, bound in wraps.

143. Rampike Vol. 3 no. 2, Burroughs contributes “Diary Excerpts” bound in wraps.

144. This is Important #6, Burroughs contributes an excerpt from The Place of Dead Roads, folded and bound in wraps.

145. Vanity Fair November 1983, Burroughs contributes “The Baron Says These Things” includes photos of Burroughs, bound in wraps.

146. Cottonwood 31-32 (University of Kansas: 1983), subtitled Confluence: Contemporary Kansas Poetry, Burroughs contributes “From The Place of Dead Roads” bound in wraps.

1984

147. Christian Bourgois, Editeur c. 1984 [no number, no date], tabloid style publication announcing new and forthcoming publications. Burroughs contributes “Mon nom est Bill Burroughs…” and photos are included as well.

148. Kansas Alumni Magazine Vol. 82 no. 4 (January 1984), Special Issue on Writers at University of Kansas, Burroughs contributes “Remembering Jack Kerouac” bound in wraps.

149. New York Times Book Review February 19, 1984, Burroughs contributes “My Purpose is to Write for the Space Age” also an excerpt from and a review of The Place of Dead Roads, printed on fragile newsprint, bound in wraps. 

150. Review of Contemporary Fiction: William S. Burroughs Number Spring 1984, special issue devoted to criticism of Burroughs, who contributes “Creative Reading,” “Ruski” and “Revenge of the Ice Box” with photo of Burroughs holding Colt .45 pistol on the cover, bound in wraps. 

151. RE/Search No. 8/9 (1984), Burroughs contributes “Preface to the Atrocity Exhibition” to this special issue on J.G. Ballard. Also includes Ballard’s review of Burroughs work entitled “Mythmaker of the 20th Century” bound in wraps.

152. Fotografie #32/33 (1984), German photography and art journal with Burroughs contributing “Notizen zu Playback-Experimenten” as well as a quote on Brion Gysin. Also an article by Udo Breger that includes references to, and photos of, Burroughs. Bound in wraps.

153. The Advocate 3, no. 97 (June 26, 1984), Burroughs contributes “Thoughts on a Gay State” bound in wraps. 

154. Unmuzzled Ox No. 23 (1984), Burroughs contributes “My Punk Face is Death” to this issue entitled The Cantos (121-150) Ezra Pound, printed on fragile newsprint and spiral bound.

155. Popular Photography August 1984, Burroughs contributes “Street Smarts” with photos by Rob Walker, bound in wraps.

156. Pigeon December 1984 #1, prints “Burroughs on Writing” in this publication from the Naropa Institute, bound in wraps.

1985

157. Vanity Fair January 1985, Burroughs contributes “From Burroughs to Ginsberg 1951” also includes a long article on the Beats by John Tytell, bound in wraps.

158. Contemporary Literature Spring 1985 (Vol. 26 no. 1), prints several excerpts from Burroughs’ works in “Notes from the Orifice: Language and the Body in William Burroughs” by Robin Lydenberg, bound in wraps.

159. The Advocate no. 419 (April 30, 1985), Burroughs contributes an essay on Denton Welch, bound in wraps.

160. Frank #4 (Paris: Summer-Autumn 1985), Burroughs contributes “Ten Years and a Billion Dollars” bound in wraps.

161. Beatitude #33 (San Francisco: 1985), Burroughs contributes a photo he took of Kerouac, also prints a photo of Burroughs with Greg Corso, bound in wraps.

162. Aperture #101 (Winter 1985), Burroughs contributes “Robert Walker’s Spliced New York” bound in wraps.

163. Fusion West Magazine [no date] 1985, Burroughs contributes excerpts to “Picking What Comes” by Jeffrey Bartone, bound in wraps.

1986

164. Radium Magazine #1 (Spring 1986), Burroughs contributes “A Crimson Path They Go” bound in wraps with thick card covers.

165. Conjunctions #9 1986, Burroughs contributes “The Cat Inside” hardbound in dust jacket.

165a. _____ bound in wraps.  

166. This is Important #12 1986, Burroughs contributes an excerpt from The Place of Dead Roads, also prints a poem by John Giorno, and more, single sheet accordion folded.  

167. The Missouri Review Vol. 9 no. 2, Burroughs contributes “Meet Senor Kaposi” bound in wraps.

168. Augenblick #3 (Japan: 1986), Burroughs contributes “Death to the Future” in Japanese language to this curious little magazine from Japan, stapled wraps housed in a portfolio cover.

169. Guitar World July 1986, Burroughs contributes “The Jimmy and Bill Show” bound in wraps.

170. Quorum Vol. 2 no. 1 (1986), Burroughs contributes an excerpt from Naked Lunch that originally appeared in Crawdaddy magazine in 1975 to this literary journal from Zagreb, Yugoslavia, one of 1,000 copies, bound in wraps.

171. Harper’s Magazine November 1986, Burroughs contributes “Notes in an Interplanetary Bottle” part of a forum on space travel, bound in wraps.

172. Journal: A Contemporary Art Magazine Winter 1986, Burroughs contributes “Shoot-Out in Boulder” bound in wraps.

1987

173. Interrupt Now Magazine [undated but 1987], small ‘zine out of New Haven CT, Burroughs contributes a letter to the publisher dated April 1986, staple bound.

174. Omni Magazine April 1987 (New York: Omni Publications), Burroughs contributes “The Ghost Lemurs of Madagascar” bound in wraps.

175. Semiotext[e] #13 (1987), Burroughs contributes “Sects and Death” bound in wraps.

176. The Review of Contemporary Fiction Summer 1987, Burroughs contributes “Bacon and Proust” to this special “Samuel Beckett Number” bound in wraps.

177. Esquire Magazine September 1987, Burroughs contributes “The Valley” an excerpt from The Western Lands, bound in wraps.

178. The Water Row Review Vol. 1 (Sudbury MA: 1987), Burroughs contributes “Excerpt from The Western Lands” bound in wraps.

179. High Frontiers Annual #3, 1987, [item not seen] Burroughs contributes, no other information available.

1988

180. Spin Magazine April 1988, Burroughs contributes “Interview with Patti Smith” bound in wraps.

181. New Letters Vol. 55 #1 (Kansas City, MO: Fall 1988), Burroughs contributes “The Conspiracy” and “Lee and the Boys” bound in wraps.

182. Caliban #4 (Ann Arbor MI: 1988), Burroughs contributes “From Interzone: Lee and the Boys” bound in wraps.

183. Cuz #2 (NY: The Poetry Project 1988), Burroughs contributes “In the Café Central” bound in crème wraps.

184. [Titled in Greek] Magazine July 1988, reprints Burroughs’ interview with Patti Smith from 1979, text in Greek and never translated by Shoaf, bound in wraps.

185. Follow Me July/Aug 1988, Burroughs contributes “The Western Lands” in this Gentleman’s Magazine from Australia, also prints “Kansas Canvas” an interview with Burroughs including 4 photos, bound in wraps.

186. This is Important #15, Burroughs contributes an excerpt from The Western Lands, also prints a poem by John Giorno, and more, single sheet accordion folded. 

187. Paris Review No. 109 (Winter 1988), Burroughs contributes “Twilight’s Last Gleaming” bound in wraps.

188. Zero Hour Vol. 1 no. 1 (1988), prints “River City Reunion” with quotes by Burroughs and photo as well, printed on fragile newsprint, bound in wraps.

189. Avec Vol. 1 1988, Burroughs contributes excerpts from the previously unpublished ‘lost chapter’ of Naked Lunch, also Kyger, Broughton, S. Clay Wilson, et al. Bound in wraps.

190. Bombay Gin Vol. 1 no. 3 (new series 1988), [not seen] Burroughs contributes, bound in wraps.

1989

191. Conjunctions #13 1989, Burroughs contributes “Christ and the Museum of Extinct Species” bound in wraps.

192. Unmuzzled Ox #26 (New York: 1989), Burroughs contributes “My Punk Face is Death” printed on fragile newsprint, bound in wraps, folded as issued.

193. Borderline Magazine February/March 1989, Burroughs contributes quotes and original artwork in “Black Smokers and Shotgun Art” by Doug Hitchcock, bound in wraps.

194. Beat Scene Magazine #6 (Spring 1989), Burroughs contributes “Cut Ups and Cowboys” in quotes apparently taken from a 1978 interview, bound in wraps.

195. Whole Earth Review #63 (Summer 1989), Burroughs contributes an untitled “Body View” to this journal, bound in wraps.

196. ARTnews October 1989, Burroughs contributes a short definition of pornography, bound in wraps.

197. Impulse Magazine Winter 1989 (Toronto, Canada), Burroughs contributes “Blade Runner” bound in colorful wraps. 

198. Semiotext[e] #14 (Vol. 5 issue 2), Burroughs contributes “The CIA Reporter” and “The New Boy” bound in pictorial wraps.

199. The Kerouac Connection #17 (Spring 1989), Burroughs contributes untitled quotes, also prints a review of Morgan’s bibliography on Burroughs, bound in wraps.

200. Alpha Beat Soup # 6 (Montreal: Winter 89/90), Burroughs contributes “Dream Voices of Technical Tilly” this issue of contains a portion of unpublished and rare poems by Beat writers from the collection of Yugoslav poet and Beat translator Vojo Sindolic, bound in wraps.

201. The Fenris Wolf No. 1 (1989), Burroughs contributes “Points of Distinction Between Sedative and Consciousness Expanding Drugs” to this Swedish magazine, text in English, bound in wraps. Issue was reprinted in 1991.

202. Radium 226.05 Magazine #2 (Sweden: 1989), Burroughs contributes “The Conspiracy” from Interzone, bound in wraps.

203. Bombay Gin Vol. 2 no. 3 (new series 1989), [not seen] Burroughs contributes, bound in wraps.

1990

204. Spin Magazine February 1990, Burroughs contributes “Just Say No to Drug Hysteria” bound in wraps.

205. Impulse Vol. 15 no. 4 (Toronto, Canada), Burroughs contributes “Terry Tiger” also includes an interview with Burroughs by Eldon Garnet, bound in wraps.

206. Der Sanitater Nr. 3 (1990), Burroughs contributes “Sample 8.5 (Black Rider)” to this unusual German serial, extremely tall and thin and bound in wraps. Text in German.

207. Gendai Shi Techo September 1990, Burroughs contributes excerpts from a number of works (including Cities of the Red Night and Apocalypse) in this special issue devoted to his work, theory on beat writing and textual criticism. Text in Japanese, bound in wraps.

208. The Note Vol. 5 no. 11 (Lawrence KS: November 1990), [not seen] Burroughs contributes, bound in wraps.

209. Contemporanea #23 (December 1990), reproduces Burroughs’ artwork and includes an interview by Simone Ellis, bound in wraps.

210. Northwest EXTRA! Vol. I no. 12, (Olympia WA: 1990), Burroughs contributes an excerpt from Tornado Alley, called “Book of Shadows” illustrated with a reprint of the S. Clay Wilson plate that appears in the book, printed on fragile newsprint with drawing of Burroughs by R. Crumb on the front, bound in wraps. 

1991

211. Grand Street #37 (New York: 1991), Burroughs contributes “The War Universe” bound in pictorial wraps.

212. Mondo 2000 Issue 3 (Berkeley CA: Winter 1991), Burroughs contributes “A Thanksgiving Prayer” bound in wraps.

213. Red Bass #15 (New Orleans: 1991), Burroughs contributes the cover artwork entitled “People of the Lie/The Lie Decade” for this journal. Bound in wraps.

214. Dazed & Confused Issue 1, 1991 (London: UK), Burroughs contributes “A Thanksgiving Prayer” to this one shot (?) publication, bound in wraps.

215. Kunstforum International Bd. 112 (Marz/April 1991), Burroughs contributes samples of his artwork to this interview by Paolo Bianchi, text in German, bound in wraps.

216. Mondo 2000 Issue 4 (Spring 1991), Burroughs contributes “A Couple of Bohos Shooting the Breeze: William S. Burroughs and Timothy Leary in Conversation” which would seem to be a transcribed interview of some sort, except that there is no interviewer. Burroughs is credited since he leads off the discussion. Bound in wraps.

217. Bouillabaisse #1 (?) (alpha beat press: 1991), Burroughs contributes “Dream Voices of Technical Tilly” also features Theo Green and a cast of thousands, bound in wraps.

1992

218. Unmuzzled Ox Vol .1 no. 2 (2/92), [not seen] Burroughs contributes, unrelated to the earlier publication with this title, bound in wraps..

219. NYCS Weekly Breeder May 20, 1992, Burroughs contributes facsimiles of two postcards addressed to Tim Mancuso, bound in wraps.

220. Paris Review No. 124 (Fall 1992), Burroughs contributes “The Cat Inside” bound in wraps.

221. Ruh Roh #1 (December 1992), Burroughs contributes “The Piper” plus artwork to the first and only issue of this title, Mark Ewert and Mitchell Watkin’s collection from early ’90s underground comic artists, bound in wraps. 

1993

222. Nerve #1 (March 1993), Burroughs contributes “A Thanksgiving Prayer” to “Bono Vox Meets William Burroughs” by Legs McNeil and Patrick Quinn, bound in wraps.

223. Flash Art (Milan, Italy) October 1993, Burroughs contributes “Painting and Guns” an excerpt from the work recently published by Hanuman Press (See Section I, No. 67), text in English, bound in wraps.

224. Platinum December 1993, Burroughs contributes “Excerpt from Junky” also included is an excerpt from Kentucky Ham by William Burroughs, Jr. Bound in wraps.

1994

225. Kaos Magick: Journal of the I.O.T USA Summer 1994 (Vol. 1 no. 1), Burroughs contributes “Frater Dahlfa Addresses the Pact” an essay transcribed from a video presentation at the meeting of the International Illuminates of Thanateros in Lockenhaus, August 1994. Includes photo of Burroughs, bound in black wraps.

226. Caliban #14, Burroughs contributes “From My Education: A Book of Dreams” bound in wraps.

227. Harper’s December 1994, Burroughs contributes “You Are What You Eat” from My Education, bound in wraps.

1995

228. Grand Street #51 (New York: Winter 1995), Burroughs contributes “A Book of Dreams” bound in pictorial wraps.

229. Outside Magazine March 1995, Burroughs contributes “Floods” bound in wraps.

230. Grand Street #54, Burroughs contributes “Ghost of Chance” bound in pictorial wraps.

1996

231. Chicago Review Vol. 42 nos. 3 & 4, Subtitled Fifty Years: A Retrospective Issue, Burroughs contributes “Excerpt: Naked Lunch” and other contributors include a veritable who’s who of literature including Beat writers, bound in wraps.

1997

232. Rolling Stone Magazine #761 (May 29, 1997), the Life of Allen Ginsberg (1926-1997), with tributes to him by William Burroughs and others, many photos including Burroughs, bound in wraps.

233. First Intensity #9 (Summer 1997), Burroughs contributes “Six Paintings” accompanied with an essay by Jim McCrary with quotes by Burroughs. Bound in wraps with illustration by S. Clay Wilson on cover.

234. New Yorker Magazine Aug. 18, 1997, Burroughs contributes “Last Words” which are the complete entries from his diary during the period May 3 until Aug. 1, the day before his passing, bound in wraps.  

235. Cerdos & Peces September 1997, Burroughs contributes “Kerouac” in this Brazilian periodical, bound in wraps.

236. Hot Press September 1997, prints “Dead Man Walking” by Olaf Tyarabsen and includes a quote by Burroughs, also Burroughs contributes “A Thanksgiving Prayer” bound in wraps.

237. Grand Street #59 (Vol. 15 no. 3), Burroughs contributes “Port of Entry” with Brion Gysin, bound in wraps.

238. Five Points Vol. 2 no. 1 (Atlanta: Fall 1997), Burroughs contributes “Bucktooth Sheriff” to this literary journal from Georgia State University, bound in wraps.

239. Juice Magazine October 1997, Burroughs contributes “Kicking” from Junky to this Australian monthly, bound in wraps.

240. HQ Magazine #55 (November-December 1997), Burroughs contributes a quote to this remembrance entitled “Missing the Beat” by Jack Ames, includes numerous photos. Bound in wraps.

241. Aperture Magazine No. 146 (Winter 1997), reproduces an image from Burroughs’ Dream Book and prints “William Burroughs at the Los Angeles County Museum of Art – Pariah or Pope?” bound in wraps.

1998

242. Shift Magazine May 1998 (Toronto, Canada), Burroughs contributes quotes in this transcript of the last meeting of Burroughs, Ginsberg, and Bowles, in 1995, and they describe the early days of the Beat movement. Transcribed from a documentary film on Bowles by Jennifer Baichwal, includes many photos, bound in wraps.

243. ppHOO January 1998 (Calcutta, India), Burroughs contributes “The Cut-Up Method of Brion Gysin” to this journal referred on the cover as Revue Poetique Internationale and inside as Revue Poetique Intercontinentale. Edited by Pradip Choudhuri, text in English, French, and Bengali, bound in wraps.

244. Ha’meorer #4 (1998), Burroughs contributes “Twilight’s Last Gleamings” to this Israeli literary journal, text in Hebrew, bound in wraps.

1999

245. Bombay Gin #25 (1999), Burroughs contributes “Swine, Swine… Wherefore Art thou Swine” which is previously unpublished. One of 750 copies, bound in wraps.

246. Your Little Empire #1, Burroughs contributes an untitled excerpt from The Wild Boys to this fanzine of the Manic Street Preachers, a Welsh band nearly unknown in USA, photocopied sheets stapled on edge.

2000

247. FreeThought Quarterly Vol. 2 no. 2 (Fall 2000), an issue dedicated to Burroughs that prints the previously unpublished work “Words of Advice for Young People” and also includes interviews and photos, printed tabloid style with drawing of Burroughs by R. Crumb on cover, folded as issued.

247a. _____ one of 26 lettered copies of the tabloid, not folded and with a blue cover.

247b. _____ one of 150 numbered copies of the tabloid, not folded and with a red cover.

247c. _____ this copy stamped “publisher’s copy.” One of five according to publisher.

248. Harper’s February 2000, Burroughs contributes “Cats, Now and Forever” bound in wraps.

2001

249. Modernism 20th Century Art & Design Magazine, Fall 2001, Vol. 4, No. 3, prints “Art of the Beats” and reproduces Burroughs art, bound in wraps.

2002

250. First Intensity #17 (2002), Burroughs contributes “Notes on Frisk” bound in wraps.

251. du Magazine #731 (November 2002), Burroughs contributes “Dead Man Blues” to this Swiss magazine. Originally printed in The Western Lands, it is reproduced here in English. Bound in wraps.

252. Der Sanitater No. 9, Burroughs contributes “Last Words” in this German tribute to Allen Ginsberg, bound in wraps.

253. Urban Culture October 2002 (#1), Burroughs contributes “Last Words” to this German monthly, bound in wraps.

2003

254. Another Magazine #5 (Autumn/Winter 2003), Burroughs contributes “Excerpt – The Future of the Novel” which originally appeared in Transatlantic Review in 1962, bound in wraps.

255. Weirdly Supernatural Issue 2 (2004), Burroughs contributes “Ghost Stories on Cigarette Cards” to this British publication. Bound in wraps.

2005

256. Interzone: The Hedi Slimame Purple Book [Special Edition of Purple Fashion #4], Burroughs contributes “Extract From Interzone” to this item published in Paris, text in English, bound in wraps.

2007

257. Inkblot Eleven (November 2007), Burroughs contributes an unpublished painting for cover art, collaborative cut-ups with Gysin, and an unpublished postcard. Also includes Udo Breger, Fred Dettlebeck, and Jurgen Ploog on Burroughs. One of fifty copies printed, bound in wraps.

See also Not in Maynard & Miles: C Items.

by Eric C. Shoaf

Items listed here are comprised of interviews with Burroughs, criticism of his writings, stories about him, interactions people had with him, and a catch-all as such for printed material related to Burroughs in some way. The majority of items here are serial titles — magazines or journals — and some are not well-documented elsewhere.

This listing is not complete and is not meant to be complete.

Many, but not all, of the interviews listed here are published in the Burroughs Live: Collected Interviews book, which every Burroughs enthusiast should own. Other interviews are not previously recorded and therefore useful to research. The listing begins pre-M&M because they only recorded interviews and some of the early critical/biographical material is rather interesting and worth seeking out. Finally, this section includes what may be the coolest title ever given to one of the “little magazines.” See Deathburger 1969. All items listed here are in the collection at the University of Virginia special collections library.

1959

1. Saturday Review June 27, 1959, prints “The Book Burners and Sweet Sixteen” by John Ciardi about Burroughs, Kerouac, and censorship, bound in wraps.

2. Life Magazine November 30, 1959, includes “Beats: Sad But Noisy Rebels” by Paul O’Neil with photo of Burroughs and description of Naked Lunch, also Kerouac, Ginsberg, Corso, etc. The article is mostly disparaging to the Beats in general but is one of the earliest in the mainstream press to cover the movement. Bound in wraps.

1960

3. Wagner Literary Magazine (Staten Island NY), prints “William Burroughs: Walden Revisited” by Arthur Flynn in this publication from the Student Association of Wagner College. Bound in wraps.  

1961

4. Outburst #1 (London: 1961), prints a review of the Olympia Naked Lunch by Robert Creeley, scarce and important early criticism.

1962

5. Kulchur #7 (Autumn 1962), prints “Notes More or Less Relevant to Burroughs and Trocchi” by Edward Dorn, scarce early criticism, bound in wraps.

6. The New Republic December 1, 1962, prints “The Great Burroughs Affair” about Naked Lunch and the controversy surrounding its release. Printed on fragile paper and bound in wraps. 

1963

7. New Yorker February 2, 1963, prints a lengthy review of Naked Lunch by Donald Malcolm, bound in wraps.

8. Critique Vol. 6 no. 1 (Spring 1963), prints “The Subtracting Machine: The Work of William Burroughs” by Ihab Hassan, bound in wraps.

9. Encounter April 1963, prints “Burroughs’ Naked Lunch” by Mary McCarthy, in part an explanation of her glowing comments on the book made previously at the International Writers’ Conference in Edinburgh, bound in wraps.

10. Partisan Review Spring 1963 (Vol. 30 no. 1), prints a review of Naked Lunch by Lionel Abel, bound in wraps.

11. Rogue Magazine September 1963, prints “The Invisible Man” by Ann Morrissett about Burroughs and the publication of Naked Lunch, bound in wraps.

1964

12. New Worlds (May-June 1964), British science fiction periodical prints “Myth Maker of the 20th Century” by J.G. Ballard, bound in wraps.

1965

13. ISIS #1497 (October 20, 1965) prints “Burroughs & Genet” by Charles Cameron, bound in wraps. 

14. Fact Magazine Vol. 2 #6 (November-December 1965), published by Ralph Ginzberg, includes the article “William Burroughs: High Priest of Hipsterism” bound wraps.

1966

15. The Minority of One March 1966, prints “The Realism of William Burroughs” by Lee Baxendall, bound in wraps.

16. Golden Nugget Magazine August 1966 (London: Vol. 1 no. 6), prints “William Burroughs: The Man and the Word” by J.G. Ballard, scarce short-lived British men’s magazine, bound in wraps.

1967

17. The East Village Other February 15, 1967, prints “Burroughing Into the American Vein” by Tony Tanner, printed on fragile newsprint, bound in wraps.

18. The Massachusetts Review Autumn 1967, prints “William Burroughs and the Literature of Addiction” by Frank D. McConnell, bound in wraps.

1968

19. Alibaba March 1968 (Vol. 2 no. 1), publication from Milan, Italy includes “Il Drogato per Exccellenza” about Burroughs, bound in wraps.

1969

20. Deathburger #6 (May 1969) prints “The Metaphor of Addiction” by Walter J. Hicks a 10,000-word analysis of Burroughs writing, bound in wraps.

21. 20th Century Studies Vol. 2 no. 1, an offprint titled “William Burroughs and the Sexuality of Power” by Robert Lee, bound in stapled wraps.

1970

22. The Writing on the Wall and Other Literary Essays by Mary McCarthy, New York: Harcourt, Brace and World 1970, includes a chapter about Burroughs, Naked Lunch and the Edinburgh Writers Conference. Hardbound in dust jacket.

23. Actuel #2 (November 1970, France: Nova Press), prints an interview with Burroughs, French language, bound in wraps

24. Crawdaddy Magazine Vol. 4 no. 5 (Summer 1970), prints “A Flower Pot from a High Window” an interview with Burroughs by Michael March, printed on fragile newsprint, bound in wraps.

1971

25. William S. Burroughs: The Algebra of Need by Eric Mottram, Buffalo NY: Intrepid Press 1971, the first book-length critical analysis of Burroughs and his impact, written by a friend, hardbound in dust jacket, and one of 1,025 copies. 

25a. _____ Buffalo NY: Intrepid Press 1971, simultaneous wraps issue limited to 2,500 copies.

25b. _____ London: Marion Boyars 1977, this edition substantially Revised and Enlarged adding much new material, hardbound in dust jacket, first printing, this edition not published in USA.

26. The Beat Generation: The Tumultuous ’50s Movement and Its Impact on Today by Bruce Cook, New York: Charles Scribner’s Sons 1971, an early critical analysis of the beat generation and its followers. Bound in wraps.

26a. _____ New York: Quill 1994, reprint of the 1971 edition with a new Preface and Afterward by the author. Bound in wraps.

27. City of Words: American Fiction 1950-1970 ed. by Tony Tanner, New York: Harper & Row 1971, Essays and criticism of American literature, includes entire chapter on Burroughs, also Updike, Kesey, Vonnegut and Mailer, first printing, hardbound in dust jacket.  

1972

28. Frendz No. 31 (London: July 14, 1972), prints “Look at Uncle Bill: An Interview with William Burroughs” printed on newsprint tabloid style.

29. Bulletin of Bibliography July-September 1972 (Vol. 29 no.3), prints “William S. Burroughs: A Bibliography” by Lynda Lee Rushing, first effort at compiling such a work, bound in wraps.

30. Fusion Magazine July 1972, prints “Adding Up Burroughs” by Milton Moore, bound in wraps.

31. Encrivains des Ameriques: Les Etats-Unis by Naim Kattan, Montreal: Editions Hurtubise 1972, prints “William Burroughs — Le Festin Nu” in this Canadian critical work, bound in wraps.

1973

32. Descriptive Catalogue of the William S. Burroughs Archive compiled by Miles Associates, London: Convent Garden/Am Here Books 1973, one of only 200 copies, each signed by Burroughs, Barry Miles, and Brion Gysin. Hardbound with thin fragile acetate dust jacket as issued. The complete listing of the Burroughs Archive up to 1973.  

32a. _____ a leather-bound edition of 26 lettered copies each signed and in a slipcase. According to publisher Richard Aaron “Brion Gysin made 26 original drawings for this part of the edition and the drawings were either stolen or lost prior to the completion of the book.”

33. Unlocking Inspector Lee’s Word Hoard: A Bibliography of the Writings of William S. Burroughs by Joe Maynard, Charlottesville, VA: Self-published 1973. The first draft of the William Burroughs Bibliography “Section A, Books & Pamphlets.” This presentation copy signed by Joe Maynard to Richard Aaron of Am Here Books. Only a handful printed, spiral bound in paper covers. 

34. The Unexpurgated Penthouse edited by Peter Haining, London: New English Library 1973, an anthology of classic writing from Penthouse magazine, prints a long interview with William Burroughs.

35. Something Else Yearbook, 1974 ed. by Jan Herman, Barton VT: Something Else Press 1973, prints “Interview: William Burroughs Rapping on Revolutionary Techniques” by Dan Georgakas, originally from 1970, first printing, bound in wraps.

1974

36. The Serif: Quarterly of the Kent State Libraries Vol. 11 no. 2 (Summer 1974), prints “A William S. Burroughs Bibliography” by Jennie Skerl. At the time, this was the most complete Burroughs bibliography, published some four years before Maynard & Miles, and included books, contributions, interviews, recordings, reviews and criticisms. Bound in wraps.  

37. Gay Sunshine #21 (Spring 1974), prints an interview with Burroughs including photos, printed on fragile newsprint, bound in wraps, folded as issued.

38. Changes: Journal of Arts and Entertainment #90 (New York: 1974), prints “William Burroughs: Leaving the Planet” by James Grauerholz, printed on fragile newsprint, bound in wraps.

1975

39. William S. Burroughs: La Vie et L’oeuvre by Philippe Mikriammos, Paris: Editions Seghers 1975, French biography and criticism with excellent references and source material, bound in wraps.

40. Yarrowstalks Magazine Apr/May 1975, prints “William Burroughs and the Sacred Word” by Angelo Lewis, a five page interview, also includes an ad for a Burroughs and John Giorno reading in Philadelphia, bound in wraps. 

41. William S. Burroughs: An Annotated Bibliography by Michael Goodman, New York: Garland 1975, annotated bibliography of Burroughs major works, cites reviews and criticisms of Burroughs. Hardbound in red cloth without dust jacket as issued. 

1976

42. Soft Need #9 (Bonn: Expanded Media Editions 1976), first edition, prints an interview with Burroughs by Brion Gysin, bound in wraps.

43. The New Review April 1976 (Volume 3  Number 25), prints “A Portrait of William Burroughs by Victor Bockris” bound in wraps

44. Out There #7 (1976?), prints “Allen Ginsberg and William Burroughs (from an interview with Barbara Berg)” bound in wraps.

45. Kontexts No. 8 (Amsterdam: Spring 1976), tabloid edited by Michael Gibbs. Prints article on Burroughs, Gysin, and the cut -up” method, as well as the 1976 Le Colloque de Tanger in Geneva. Also prints two full-page reproductions of collaged manuscript pages from The Third Mind.

46. The New Review Vol. 3 no. 25 (1976) Victor Bockris contributes “Information about the Operation: A Portrait of William Burroughs.” Bound in wraps.

47. William S. Burroughs Visuals & Project Notes 1974-1975 by Gary Lee-Nova, privately printed in Canada 1976. An artist’s work book compiled while the author was ‘artist-in-residence’ at the University of Saskatchewan. Quarto sheets bound in a stiff folder. It is not clear how many, or if, copies were made. Contains various images of William Burroughs from the photographs of Brion Gysin and Charles Henri-Ford, interspersed with newspaper headlines, graphics, a photograph of Burroughs’ mother, Mayan glyphs and more. Included is a photocopy letter from the author to Burroughs seeking his approval and permission for the project, together with a photocopy of William Burroughs’ reply. Laid in to the folder are four original unpublished photographs of Burroughs.

48. Naked Angels by John Tytell, New York: Grove Press 1976, first softcover printing, a history of Beat writers.

49. Andy Warhol’s Interview Magazine May 1976, prints an interview with Burroughs by Paul Getty III with photo, printed on fragile newsprint, bound in wraps.

1977

50. The Village Voice May 16, 1977, prints “Orpheus holds His Own: William Burroughs talks with Tennessee Williams, bound in wraps.

51. Mandate Magazine July 1977, prints an interview with Burroughs by Jeff Goldberg, photos by Gerard Melanga, bound in wraps.

52. Rock Scene Magazine September 1977, prints “Patti Smith Meets William Burroughs” a photo pictorial of a book signing at the Gotham Book Mart in NYC, also photos of Allen Ginsberg, Terry Southern, and others, bound in wraps.

53. Acid Rock Magazine November 1977 (New York), prints reviews of Naked Lunch and Junky along with numerous photos of Burroughs, bound in wraps.

54. OOR Magazine No. 25/26 (December 13, 1977), Dutch magazine prints an interview with Burroughs by Bert van de Kamp, bound in wraps.

1978

55. Nova Convention Program Giorno Poetry Systems 1978, program brochure for a weekend of performances produced by John Giorno and including Burroughs, Tim Leary and others. Full-page photograph of Burroughs on rear wrapper, bound in wraps.

56. Creem Magazine April 1978, prints an interview with Burroughs by Jeffrey Morgan, bound in wraps.

57. “Deluxe” #2, Spring 1978, UK magazine prints an interview with Burroughs, bound in wraps

58. Twentieth Century Literature Vol. 24 no. 2 (Summer 1978), prints “The Quest and the Question: Cosmology and Myth in the Work of William S. Burroughs, 1953-1960” by William Stull, bound in wraps.

59. Search and Destroy #10 (San Francisco: 1978), prints “Call Me Burroughs” an interview by Ray Rumor, printed on newsprint, bound in wraps.

60. Berkeley Barb October 26-November 8, 1978, prints “Burroughs Talks” by Joe Flower, printed on fragile newsprint, bound in wraps.

61. Street Magazine Vol. 2 no. 4 (1978) prints an interview with Burroughs by Allen DeLoach, bound in wraps.

62. Gay Sunshine Interviews ed. by Winston Leyland, San Francisco: Gay Sunshine Press 1978, includes an interview with Burroughs expanded from the one appearing in the magazine Gay Sunshine in 1974 (see previous). Bound in wraps.

1979

63. Langage et Silence dans l’oeuvre de William S. Burroughs by Serge Grèunberg, Paris: Sevil 1979, excellent French scholarly study of Burroughs, first printing, bound in pictorial wraps as issued.

64. High Times Magazine February 1979, Victor Bockris interviews Burroughs, bound in pictorial wraps. 

65. Creem Magazine March 1979, prints “Inside William Burroughs” an interview by Jeffrey Morgan, bound in wraps.

66. New York Rocker #17 (Feb-Mar 1979), includes “Call Him Burroughs” by Adele Bertie, and an article on the Nova Convention with over a dozen photos of Burroughs and guests, printed on fragile newsprint, folded as issued. 

67. Departures Vol. 1 no. 1 (1979), prints “Interview with William Burroughs” by Clarence Major, bound in wraps.

68. Sphinx Magazine #5 1979, this Swiss art and culture magazine includes a conversation between Burroughs and Victor Bockris, and an article by Udo Breger entitled “Brion Gysin’s Dreamachine”. Both pieces in German language with numerous photographs.

69. My Files on William Burroughs: Literary Soldier, Private Pilot by Victor Bockris [np, nd], privately printed, ca.1979, a festschrift in honor of William Burroughs, compiled from the filing cabinets of close friend and biographer. A collection of clippings, photographs, interviews, reviews, letters, and reminiscences. Published in an edition of 50 copies and marked “Exactly 50 copies of these papers have been xeroxed. Twenty five were distributed to friends and twenty five were sold in order to cover the expense of their production.” File bound in green plastic covers with paper jacket reproducing photographs of William Burroughs by Michael Montfort. 

70. En Attendant #22 Brussels: November 1979, music tabloid magazine from Belgium which prints an interview with Burroughs by Michel Duval. In French language, bound in wraps.

71. Rolling Stone College Papers #1 (Fall 1979), prints an interview with Burroughs, bound in wraps.

72. Waves Vol. 7 no. 2 (New York: Winter 1979), prints an interview with Burroughs by Ann Waldman, bound in wraps.

1980

73. Popster #31 (January 1980), Italian music magazine prints “William Burroughs: The Beat Goes On” including an article, interview and many photos, bound in wraps.

74. William S. Burroughs: A Checklist of Magazine/Periodicals Appearances compiled by Ralph Cook, San Diego: Atticus Books 1980, adds to the number of documented “C” items to which Burroughs contributed and includes some items not recorded in Maynard & Miles. But also manages to miss a large number of the periodical appearances by Burroughs from the 1973-80 period. For example, the two-year run of monthly articles in Crawdaddy magazine is not mentioned at all. Typewritten and stapled, limited to but 35 copies. 

75. Occident Spring 1980 (U.C. Berkeley), prints “Critical Approaches to William S. Burroughs” by Thomas Parkinson, bound in wraps.

76. The Homosexual as Hero in Contemporary Fiction by Stephen Adams, London: Vision Press 1980, includes a chapter about Burroughs’ writings, hardbound in dust jacket.

77. Blueboy Magazine October 1980, prints “Dinner with Andy and Bill” by Victor Bockris, an interview with Burroughs and Andy Warhol with many photos of the pair, bound in wraps.

78. Benzene Vol. 1 no. 2 (New York: Winter 1980), prints “William Burroughs Conversations” and “5 Lectures on William Burroughs” by Allen De Loach, tabloid style and printed on newsprint. 

79. William S. Burroughs: La Vida y Obra by Phillip Mikriammos, Madrid: Ediciones Jucar 1980, in-depth study of Burroughs work by Spanish scholar includes an interview with Burroughs, first printing, bound in wraps.

80. The Art of Literary Publishing ed. by Bill Henderson, Yonkers NY: Pushcart Press 1980, prints “The Struggle Against Censorship: A Roundtable Discussion” by Charles Ruas which is a transcription of a radio interview from 1974, first printing, hardbound in dust jacket.

81. Talk Talk Magazine Vol. 2 no. 12, 1980, prints an interview with Burroughs and Allen Ginsberg, bound in wraps.

82. OP Magazine (Olympia WA: Spring 1980), includes a review of Burroughs’ Blade Runner by Mark H. Smith, printed on fragile newsprint, bound in wraps. 

83. Dream Makers: The Uncommon People Who Write Science Fiction ed. by Charles Platt, Berkley: 1980, prints an interview with Burroughs.

1981

84. Northeast Rising Sun Vol. 4 no. 17, (1981) prints “Lou Reed Meets William Burroughs” by Victor Bockris, bound in wraps.

85. Talk Talk Magazine Vol. 3 no. 6 (Lawrence KS: August 1981), prints an extensive Burroughs interview also includes flexi disk recording of Burroughs reading from ‘Dead Souls’ and from something ‘partially contained in Nova Express’ laid in, one of 2,000 copies, bound in wraps.

86. Moody Street Irregulars Magazine No. 9 (New York: 1981), a Jack Kerouac Newsletter, this issue prints an interview with Burroughs by Jennie Skerl, bound in wraps.

87. With William Burroughs: A Report from the Bunker by Victor Bockris, New York: Seaver Books 1981, interviews and transcriptions of Burroughs with guests during the New York period. First printing, hardbound in dust jacket.

87a. _____ London: Vermilion & Company 1982, first UK printing in illustrated wraps with a different design from the US printing.

87b. _____ New York: St. Martin’s Press 1996, a revised edition adding two new chapters, first printing, bound in wraps (no hardbound copies of this edition issued), with a new cover design.

88. High Times Magazine February 1981, prints “Interview: Terry Southern with Bill Burroughs” by Victor Bockris, also photos of the two together, bound in wraps.

89. Contemporary Literary Censorship: The Case History of Burroughs’ Naked Lunch by Michael Goodman, Metechun, NJ: Scarecrow Press 1981, a complete history of the Naked Lunch trial and all attending hearings, a well-researched and documented scholarly work and the only one of its kind to follow the trial of NL. Includes a detailed publication of Naked Lunch and background on the Grove Press. An unusually scarce book that was geared to scholars and sold mostly to libraries. Hardbound without dust jacket as issued.

90. Trax Magazine No. 6 (UK: March 18, 1981), prints “Trip to Hell and Back” an interview with Burroughs by Jerry Bauer, printed on fragile newsprint, bound in wraps.

91. NY Rocker April 1981, prints “My Sweet Mole, Burroughs” by Craig D. Nelson which is a book review of Cities of the Red Night. Printed on fragile newsprint, bound in wraps.

92. High Performance Magazine Winter 1981-82 (Vol. 4 no. 4), prints “Nightclubbing with William Burroughs, John Giorno, and Laurie Anderson” by Lewis MacAdams, includes photos, bound in wraps.

93. Revue des Homosexualites Masques No. 12 (1981/82), prints an lengthy interview with Burroughs by Luc Pinhas, text in French.

1982

94. Am Here Books Catalogue Five ed. By Richard Aaron, WSB Collection 1981/82, a dealer catalog of items including a good portion of Burroughs listings, many of which are very scarce and important or otherwise undocumented. This is one of 500 special copies issued with a vinyl 45-rpm recording of Burroughs reading “The Last Words of Hassan-I-Sabbah.” Bound in stiff white wraps. Some copies were numbered, but not all.

94a. _____ an edition produced without the vinyl recording, number produced unknown.

94b. _____ The proof copy of the catalogue with “The-Way-To-Cut-City, Boys” printed at rear, signed by Burroughs on the first leaf, inscribed and signed by editor and Am Here Books proprietor Richard Aaron on the first page of text, loose leaves in binder. Most likely the only signed proof.

95. The Final Academy: Statements of a Kind London: The Final Academy 1982, program for a series of events held in London celebrating William Burroughs, with contributions by Brion Gysin, Jeff Nuttall, Eric Mottram, John Giorno, Miles, Burroughs, et al. Includes rare photos of Burroughs, a Burroughs checklist by Miles, and more. Bound in wraps.

96. Look Quick #10 (Pueblo CO: Spring 1982), a special “Beat” issue which includes two previously unpublished photos of Burroughs originally taken in 1975 at the Naropa Institute, bound in wraps.

97. Radar #1 ed. by Carl Laszlo, Herausgeber Basel: editions C.L.A.G. 1982, an issue almost entirely devoted to Burroughs with interviews, criticism and analysis, bound in embossed silver wraps. 

98. Isaac Asimov’s Science Fiction Magazine September 1982, prints “Profile: William Burroughs” by Charles Platt, bound in wraps.

99. Time Out #63 (Sept. 24, 1982), contains cover feature “Fast Frames, Slow Draw” an interview with Burroughs published to tie-in with “The Final Academy” symposium.

100. Oboe #5 (San Francisco: Night Horn Books), prints a brief Burroughs bio and a review of Cities of the Red Night, bound in wraps.

101. Modern Language Studies Summer 1982 (Vol. 12 no. 3), prints an interview with Burroughs by Jennie Skerl, bound in wraps.

102. Dictionary of Literary Biography Yearbook: 1981 ed. by Karen Rood et al, Detroit: Gale Research 1982, prints a lengthy bio by Robert Burkholder with photos, hardbound without dust jacket as issued.

103. New Musical Express October 16, 1982, prints an interview with Burroughs and Brion Gysin by Chris Bohn, also illustrated comic strip about Burroughs, printed on fragile newsprint, bound in wraps.

1983

104. Red Bass Vol. 3 no. 1 (Tallahasee FL: 1983), prints an interview with Burroughs discussing writing, art, space travel, cultural revolution, and other matters. Bound in wraps.

105. Muziekkrant OOR 19 November 1983 (Amsterdam, The Netherlands), prints an interview with Burroughs by Bert van de Kamp, bound in wraps.

106. Bravear #6 (1983) punk magazine prints “William S. Burroughs” by Michael MacDonald, a review of a Burroughs reading at the Kabuki Nightclub in San Francisco, bound in wraps.

107. Nit & Wit Jan/Feb 1983, this issue of “Chicago’s arts magazine” prints “Burroughs: Mainlining the Mainstream” by Allen Barra. Discusses Burroughs in general, and Naked Lunch and Cities of the Red Night in particular, bound in wraps.

108. Long Shot Vol. 2 1983, prints an interview with Burroughs by Michael Folly, bound in wraps.

109. Gateavisa #7 (Norway: Dec. 1983), prints an interview with Burroughs and other material about him, bound in wraps.

110. Ammunition #2 (Berkeley CA: 1983), a “Naked Lunch Special” edition that prints an article about Burroughs as well as photos, printed sheets side-stapled in wraps. 

1984

111. Third Rail #6 1984, small poetry magazine prints an interview with Burroughs by Uri Hertz, bound in wraps.

112. Details Magazine March 1984, prints “Naked Dinner” about a party celebrating Burroughs’ 70th birthday. Includes photo of Burroughs with Lou Reed and Jim Carroll, bound in wraps.

113. East Village Eye April 1984 (New York), tabloid newspaper prints an interview with Burroughs by T. X. Ember entitled “I Still Get a Thrill When I See You, Bill.” Interview deals with Burroughs’ writing, his books, life in Kansas, and other matters. Also includes a review of The Place of Dead Roads by James Graham. Bound in wraps.

114. The St. Louis Weekly March 21, 1984, prints an article/interview with Burroughs by Jan Herman, with color photographic prints of Burroughs at a book-signing event. Bound in wraps.

115. The Riverfront Times (St. Louis) March 28-April 3, 1984, prints an interview with Burroughs with photos of WSB.

116. The New York Review of Books Vol. 31 no. 8 (May 10, 1984), prints an interesting article on Burroughs titled “The Invisible Man” with “William Burroughs’ scene” on cover, bound in wraps.

117. Rock en Stock (Versailles, France), prints an article about Burroughs’ 70th birthday with photos, plus an interview by Frank Tenaille, bound in wraps.

118. Cleveland Edition #6 October 4-10, 1984, prints an interview with Burroughs by William Weiss which discusses The Place of dead Roads and other topics, bound in wraps.

119. Southern California Anthology ed. by Jonathan Woetzel et al, Santa Barbara: Ross-Erikson Publishers 1984, prints an interview with Burroughs by Michael McLaughlin, bound in wraps.

1985

120. Gay News January 31, 1985 (London), prints “Taking the Nova Express” by Patrick Newley, bound in wraps. 

121. Conversations with American Writers ed. by Charles Ruas, New York: Alfred Knopf 1985, prints an interview with Burroughs, first printing, hardbound in dust jacket. First published in London in 1984 by Quartet Books.

122. High Times Magazine March 1985, prints an interview with Burroughs by John Howell, lots of photos, bound in wraps.

123. Spin Magazine November 1985, prints “Call Him Burroughs” by Richard Gehr, big color photos of Burroughs, bound in wraps.

124. Kerouac and Friends: A Beat Generation Album by Fred McDarrah, New York: William Morrow 1985, mostly photos and articles from the 1950s and early 60s, lots of information on Burroughs, first printing of this edition, hardbound in dust jacket.

125. In the City Spring 1985, prints “The Burroughs Tradition” by Pete Scott, UK music mag bound in wraps.

126. Beat Indeed ed. by Rudi Horemans, EXA: Antwerp Belgium 1985, history and criticism of Beat writers published in Belgium but in English language. Lots of Kerouac but WSB as well, bound in wraps.

1986

127. William Burroughs: An Essay by Alan Ansen, Water Row Press 1986, A long essay on Burroughs by his old friend Ansen who helped type Naked Lunch in Tangier. Bound in wraps and limited to 500 numbered copies.  

127a. _____ an edition of 50 numbered hardbound copies signed by Ansen and Burroughs.

127b. _____ an edition of 26 lettered copies signed by both and hors commerce.

128. Trip to Hell and Back Coventry UK: Cold Wind Press aka Satori Beats 1986, small pamphlet limited to 100 copies, prints an interview with WSB by Jerry Bauer originally published in Trax magazine March 18, 1981, bound in stapled wraps. Later pirated by TOPY Heart in a small edition.

129. Rolling Stone Magazine October 23, 1986, prints “The Return of the Invisible Man” by James Fox, includes photos of Burroughs, bound in wraps.

130. Wire Magazine Issue 33 (November 1986), UK mag prints “William Burroughs: The Poisonous Rasp” by Biba Kopf, bound in wraps.

131. Burroughs by Gerard-Georges Lemaire, Paris: Editions Artefact 1986, a complete compendium of all things Burroughs including many photos and reproductions of his printed works. Published only in French, bound in wraps. 

132. Beats & Company: Portrait of a Literary Generation Garden by Ann Charters, New York: Doubleday 1986, large volume illustrated with many photos, first printing, hardbound in dust jacket.

133. New Letters Vol. 51 No 1 (1986) prints an interview with Burroughs, bound in wraps.

134. Interchange No. 4, British little magazine prints an article on Burroughs by Pete Scott, bound in wraps.

135. Awful Moments ed. by Philip Norman, London: Elm Tree Books 1986, re-tells the story of Burroughs accidentally shooting his wife but incorrectly has it set in New York instead of Mexico, first printing, hardbound in dust jacket.

1987

136. Word Cultures by Robin Lydenberg, Urbana, IL: University of Illinois Press, 1987, first edition, hardbound in dust jacket with photo by Gerard Malanga. Textual criticism.

137. Sunday Times Magazine March 22, 1987, weekly magazine of the London Times newspaper prints “The Return of the Invisible Man” by James Fox, includes several photos, bound in wraps.

138. Rolling Stone Magazine Nov. 5-Dec 10, 1987, prints “The William Burroughs Interview” by Robert Palmer, bound in wraps.

139. In Style for Men Winter 1987, prints “William Burroughs: In Praise of Splendid Blasphemies” by Richard Labonte, bound in wraps.

140. High Frontiers Magazine #3 (1987), prints “William Burroughs and His Feline Obsession” bound in wraps.

141. Aquarius Revisited: Seven Who Created the Sixties Counterculture by Peter Whitmer, New York: Macmillan 1987, a look at writers from WSB to Hunter Thompson who shaped the period of the sixties, hardbound in dust jacket.

1988

142. Literary Outlaw by Ted Morgan, New York: Henry Holt 1988, large bio with plenty of info, first printing, hardbound in dust jacket.

143. Christopher Street #120 (1988) prints an interview with Burroughs, bound in wraps.

144. Living in Words: Interviews from the Bloomsbury Review 1981-1988 ed. by Gregory McNamee, Portland OR: Breitenbush Books, Inc. 1988, prints an interview with Burroughs, issued simultaneously in hardcover and wraps.

145. [deleted duplicate entry]

146. Cover — Arts New York January 1988, prints an interview “William Tells” by Michele Corriel, printed on fragile newsprint, bound in wraps, folded as issued.

147. National Student Magazine- The Magazine of the National Union of Students Issue 4 (February 1988), prints an interview with Burroughs by Kam Haroohar. Bound in wraps.

148. Exhibition Catalog: William S. Burroughs Santa Fe NM: Gallery Casa Sin Nombre 1988, prints “On Burroughs’ Art” by James Grauerholz, also includes photos of Burroughs’ paintings exhibited at the gallery. Bound in wraps.

149. The Rocket (Seattle WA) July 1988, prints an interview with Burroughs by Jesse Bernstein, printed on newsprint, bound in wraps.

160. Elle Magazine March 1988, prints “Brand-New Beats” by Katherine Dieckmann, an article about and interview with Burroughs, includes photo, bound in wraps.

161. Cottonwood #41(University of Kansas: 1988), prints an interview with Burroughs by George Wedge, also reproduces Burroughs’ paintings on the front and rear covers, bound in wraps.

162. Les Inrockuptibles #12 (Summer 1988), French music magazine features a 5 pages interview between Patti Smith and William S. Burroughs made in 1979, text in French, bound in wraps.

163. Kerouac and the Beats: A Primary Sourcebook by Arthur and Kit Knight, New York: Paragon House 1988, prints an interview with Burroughs by John Tytell, first printing, hardbound in dust jacket.

164. William Burroughs: Painting London: The October Gallery 1988, prints “William Burroughs’ Art” by James Grauerholz and reproduces Burroughs’ paintings in color. Bound in wraps.

1989

165. Exposure December-January 1989, prints “The Boy That Was Banned” by Ron Curran about Burroughs, bound in wraps.

166. ONTHEBUS: A New Literary Magazine #4 (Los Angeles: Bombshelter Press 1989), Burroughs and Ginsberg are interviewed by Daniel Ritkes, bound in wraps.

167. Beat Scene Magazine No. 7 (Coventry, England: 1989), prints reviews of Interzone and Tornado Alley by Kevin Ring, bound in wraps.

168. The Arts Journal (Asheville, NC: June 1989), prints “The Literary Outlaw and the Lemurs:
William S. Burroughs Among the Prosimians and Other Primates of Durham, NC” by Tom Patterson, bound in wraps. 

169. Trip to Hell and Back [np: 1989] presented by T.O.P.Y. (HEART) as part of the ‘Heart Archive Catalogue,’ an apparent piracy of the Cold Wind Press printing of an interview with WSB by Jerry Bauer. Bound in wraps.

170. Bloomsbury Review May/June 1989, prints “The Bottom Line on William S. Burroughs: An Essay” by David Ulin. Based on a review of the newly released book Interzone, the author discusses Burroughs’ writing through the years. Bound in wraps

171. The Dirty Goat #4 (1989), special Beat generation issue prints an interview with Burroughs, bound in wraps.

172. Canadian Art Magazine September 1989 (Vol. 6 no. 1), prints a short piece about a Burroughs exhibition of artwork, includes photo of WSB and also of shotgun art, bound in wraps.

1990

173. Warten: Das Magazin #1 (Berlin: Druckhaus 1990), large oversize magazine (266 pages) prints an interview with Burroughs (in German) by Jurgen Ploog, bound in wraps and less than 1,000 copies printed.

174. William S. Burroughs: A Reference Guide by Michael Goodman, New York: Garland 1990, updated and expanded revision of his 1975 annotated bibliography. Hardbound in light green cloth covered boards as issued without dust jacket.

175. Magical Blend Magazine San Francisco: April 1990, prints “Blast on Through” a lengthy review and critical look at Burroughs’ writing, focusing on The Western Lands. Bound in wraps.

176. Across the Wounded Galaxies ed. By Larry McCaffery, Chicago: University of Illinois Press 1990, this book of interviews with science fiction writers includes a 23-page interview with Burroughs, first printing, hardbound in dust jacket.

177. Blitz Magazine July 1990, prints “Sniper: The Life of William Burroughs” by Jon Wilde with photos by Steve Speller, bound in wraps.

178. The Daybreak Boys: Essays on the Literature of the Beat Generation ed. by Gregory Stephenson, Carbondale IL: University of Southern Illinois Press 1990, devotes an entire chapter to the work of Burroughs, first printing, hardbound in dust jacket.

179. The New Age London: Our Wonderful Culture 1990, prints an interview with William Burroughs conducted by Anthony Boldt, bound in wraps.

180. Journal Wired Summer/Fall 1990, a rather thick quarterly journal, prints a lengthy interview with Burroughs by Gregory Daurer which includes photos, also an interview with Ginsberg, bound in wraps.

181. The Advocate #302 (October 2, 1980), prints an interview entitled “William S. Burroughs: Unspeakable Evils and Other Random Intersects” by Brent Harris, printed on fragile newsprint, bound in wraps.

182. The Bohemian Register: An Annotated Bibliography of the Beat Literary Movement by Morgan Hickey, Metuchen NJ: Scarecrow Books 1990, fine scholarly bibliography contains much material on Burroughs and his works, first printing, hardbound without dust jacket as issued.

1991

183. William S. Burroughs at the Front: the Critical Reception by Jennie Skerl and Robin Lydenberg, Carbondale: Southern Illinois Press 1991, Critical essays spanning three decades and including reviews of Burroughs’ most recent fiction, first printing, bound in wraps.

184. Interview Magazine April 1991, prints a lengthy interview with Burroughs by Victor Bockris, includes several photos and a couple of Burroughs’ paintings. Bound in wraps.

185. William Burroughs: Cool Cats, Furry Cats, Aliens, but No Purring by Victor Bockris, Self-published: 1991, an interview with Burroughs reprinted from Interview magazine, staple-bound softcover wraps, publication limited to 100 numbered copies each signed by Victor Bockris.

186. Spin Magazine October 1991, prints “William Tells” an extensive interview by Legs McNeil, bound in wraps.

187. Homocore Magazine #7 (Winter/Spring 1991), prints an interview with Burroughs by Deke Motif Nihilson, includes photos “stolen from REsearch without permission” according to text, bound in wraps.

188. The Advocate Magazine #581 (July 16, 1991), prints an interview with Burroughs by David Ehrenstein, many photos of Burroughs including the cover of the pictorial wraps.

1992

189. Man From Nowhere: Storming the Citadels of Enlightenment with William S. Burroughs & Brion Gysin by Joe Ambrose et al. London: Gap and Subliminal 1992, analysis of works of WSB and Gysin, bound in pictorial wraps.

190. Mirabella January 1992, feature article on Naked Lunch movie and also a short interview with Burroughs, bound in wraps.

191. Collage January 14, 1992, prints “Understanding the Work of William Burroughs” by Bill Cushing which is comprised of an interview with Allen DeLoach, printed on fragile newsprint, bound in wraps.

192. Esquire Magazine February 1992, contains “Which is the Fly and Which is Human” a pictorial interview with Burroughs on the release of the film “Naked Lunch” bound in wraps.

193. Pulse Magazine February 1992, prints “The Universal Rage of David Cronenberg” about the Naked Lunch movie, includes photos of WSB,bound in wraps.

194. Casa Burroughs: Shotgun Dipinti e Altro Turin, Italy: L’Onda/Atelier Marconi 1992, catalog for the exhibit held March 26th-April 30th, 1992, bound in grocery bag wrappers simulated to look bent, comes with a plastic trash bag with the gallery name on front. Introduction by Guido Costa. Includes photographs of Burroughs, and five taped-in color plates of his paintings. Text in Italian.

195. William Burroughs: El Hombre Invisible by Barry Miles, London: Virgin 1992, an excellent bio by Burroughs bibliographer, first printing, hardbound in dust jacket.

195a. _____ New York: Hyperion 1993, first US printing, hardbound in a dust jacket with a different design from the UK printing.

195b. _____ London: Virgin 2002, new revised edition, bound in wraps.

196. Esquire (UK) Magazine May 1992, contains “At Home with Bill Burroughs” by Barry Miles, includes photos, not printed in the US edition, bound in wraps.

197. San Francisco Review of Books Vol. 17 no. 1 (Summer 1992), prints “Naked Burroughs: A Conversation Between Allen Ginsberg and William Burroughs” bound in wraps.

198. Wireless Imagination ed. by Douglas Kahn and Gregory Whitehead, Cambridge MA: MIT Press 1992, prints “Sound Identity Fading Out — William Burroughs’ Tape Experiments” by Robin Lydenberg, first printing, hardbound without dust jacket as issued.

199. Beat Scene #16 (1992), prints three reviews of Burroughs-related items, bound in wraps.

1993

200. Details Magazine September 1993, prints “Wild Bill” an interview by David Streitfeld, includes many photos of Burroughs, bound in wraps.

201. Tower Records TOP October 1993, prints “Retro” by Edwin Pouncey that includes a discography on Burroughs, bound in wraps.

202. Flash Art October 1993, prints a conversation between William Burroughs and Francesco Clemente, bound in wraps.

203. Calinti No. 6 (August 1993), pop-culture mag from Turkey prints a short article about Burroughs plus three photos, in Turkish language, bound in wraps.  

204. Newsweek  September 6, 1993, prints “Let’s Do Naked Lunch” by David Gates, a profile of Burroughs with numerous photos, bound in wraps.

205. Ben Is Dead Magazine Hollywood CA: Summer 1993, prints an interview with Burroughs by Mark Ewert, bound in illustrated wraps.

1994

206. Burroughs: Eine Bild-Biographie ed. by Michael Kohler, Berlin: Nishen 1994, German bio with excellent source material and many otherwise unpublished photos, no English translation exists, first printing, hardbound in cloth covered boards without dust jacket as issued.  

207. Venus Bound: The Erotic Voyage of the Olympia Press and Its Writers by John de St. Jorre, New York: Random House 1994, prints an entire chapter on Burroughs and focuses on Naked Lunch, first American printing, hardbound in dust jacket.

208. Out Magazine February/March 1994, prints “Rebel Without a Pause” about Burroughs at 80 years old, includes current and older photos, bound in wraps.

209. Max Magazine April 1994 (Hamburg, Germany), prints “Mit 80 Noch Hip: William S. Burroughs” by Michael Koetzle, includes numerous photos and discography, German text, bound in wraps.

210. Beat Scene Magazine #19 (May/June), a special Burroughs issue that prints “Nothing Here Now But the Recordings” and “Burroughs Turns Eighty” both with photos, bound in wraps.

211. Chaos International No. 16 (1994), prints an interview with Burroughs by Robert Williams, bound in wraps.

212. Gay Times September 1994, prints “Drug Queens We Have Known” that includes section on Burroughs, bound in wraps.

1995

213. Bala Perdida: William S. Burroughs en Mexico (1949-52) by Jorge Garcia-Robles, Mexico City: Ediciones del Milenio 1995, Prize-winning account of Burroughs’ turbulent three years in Mexico including the death of his wife. First printing in Spanish, bound in wraps. An English translation was published in 2001. 

214. The Beat Journals Vol. 1, Warwickshire, England: The Beat Scene Press 1995, collection of articles and interviews from Beat Scene magazine, prints “William Burroughs & Other Tales” photos of Burroughs on front and rear cover, first printing, limited to 400 copies, bound in wraps.

215. The Big Book of Weirdos by Carl Posey and 67 of the world’s top comic artists, New York: Paradox Press 1995, includes sketch of Burroughs, bound in wraps.  

216. huH Magazine No. 5 (January 1995) prints “The Ultimate Outsider” by Legs McNeil, photos of Burroughs by Jim Tynan, bound in wraps.

217. Beat Scene Magazine #25 (Warwickshire, England) prints an interview with Burroughs by Ron Whitehead, many photos including Burroughs on the cover, bound in wraps.

218. The Birth of the Beat Generation: Visionaries, Rebels, and Hipsters, 1944-1960 by Steven Watson, New York: Pantheon 1995, excellent history of Beats, many photos of Burroughs as well as historical accounts of his interaction and influence on other Beat writers, hardbound in dust jacket.

219. Big Sky Mind: Buddhism and the Beat Generation ed. by Carole Tonkison, New York: Riverhead Books 1995, contains an entire chapter on Burroughs and along with other major Beat writers, first printing, bound in wraps.

220. Vanity Fair Magazine December 1995, prints “On the Road Again” by Joyce Johnson and includes 2 photos of Burroughs by Annie Leibovitz, bound in wraps.

221. Peerpee Magazine #1 curious little magazine prints “W.S. Burroughs” by Jane Alger, two stapled inserts in wraps bound in a portfolio, number 7 of 500 copies printed.

222. The Guardian International Review August 14, 1995, prints “Psycho Dramas: The Dream World of William Burroughs” by Will Self in this weekly supplement to The Guardian (UK) newspaper. Printed on fragile newsprint, bound in wraps.

223. Transformer: The Lou Reed Story by Victor Bockris, New York: Simon & Schuster 1995, prints “Lou Reed Meets William Burroughs” in an extensive interview between the two cultural icons, first printing, hardbound in dust jacket.

1996

224. Beat Generation Writers ed. by Robert Lee, London: Pluto Press 1996, analysis and criticism including an entire chapter on Burroughs, first printing, bound in wraps.

225. Juxtapoz Spring 1996 (Vol. 2 no. 2), prints “Two Guys With Guns Making Art” by Gregory Daurer about Burroughs and Hunter Thompson and their “firearms” art, bound in wraps.

226. Louisville Eccentric Observer (LEO) July 10, 1996, prints “Naked Interview: Conversations with William S. Burroughs” by Ron Whitehead, bound in wraps.

227. Tribe Magazine No. 10, August 1996. (New Orleans), prints an interview with William S. Burroughs including photographs, bound in wraps. 

228. Detour Magazine August 1996, prints “William Tells” by David Ulin, lots of photos of Burroughs and artwork, bound in wraps.

229. Chiron Review #48 (Autumn 1996), prints “A Visit With William Burroughs” by Robert Peters, bound in wraps.

230. Art In America November 1996, prints “Burroughs’s Virology” by David Joselit about the Ports of Entry show at the LA County Museum of Art, includes many reproductions from the show, bound in wraps.

231. Ray Gun Magazine Dec/Jan 1996, prints “Gray Magician” by Roger Clarke, a six-page article about Burroughs with photos by Allen Ginsberg, bound in wraps.

232. Qualiteria: The QPB Literary Journal ed. by Kathy Kiernan, New York: Quality Paperback Book Club 1996, includes an excerpt “Inspector Lee of the Nova Police” from El Hombre Invisible by Barry Miles, bound in wraps.

233. The Bowie Companion ed. by Elizabeth Thomson, New York: Da Capo Press 1996, prints “Beat Godfather Meets Glitter Mainman” which originally appeared in Rolling Stone magazine. Bound in wraps.

234. Search & Destroy #7-11: The Complete Reprint ed. by V. Vale, San Francisco: V/Search Publications 1996, prints an interview with Burroughs that originally appeared in Search & Destroy magazine, bound in wraps.

235. Tribe Magazine #10 August 1996, prints an interview with Burroughs by Peter Orr, includes many photos, bound in wraps.

236. The Norton Book of Interviews ed. by Christopher Silvester, New York: W.W. Norton 1996, prints an interview with Burroughs by Duncan Fallowell, first printing, hardbound in dust jacket.

237. 21*C #23, prints “The Beat Goes On” by Kathy Acker about Ginsberg and Burroughs, bound in wraps.

1997

238. Wising Up the Marks: The Amodern William Burroughs by Timothy Murphy, Berkeley: U.CA. Press 1997, textual criticism and more, first printing, bound in wraps.

239. Kansas Alumni Magazine No. 1 1997, prints “El Hombre Visible” by Mark Luce which describes an exhibition of Burroughs artwork at the university. A lengthy article with over a dozen photos of Burroughs and his paintings. Bound in wraps with photo of Burroughs’ painting on cover.

240. The Times (London) August 4, 1997, prints a long obit on Burroughs, newsprint bound in wraps.

241. The Reader News Insert Chicago: August 15, 1997, prints “Friends of Bill” an essay and interview with Burroughs not long before his death by J.R. Jones, printed on newsprint and folded as issued.

242. Santa Cruz Manifesto September 1997, prints “Dr. Penis, I Presume?” by Carter Wilson about WSB’s life, printed on fragile newsprint, bound in wraps.

243. Les Inrockuptibles #116 (Sept 3, 1997), French magazine featuring Burroughs on cover plus eleven pages of interviews, text, and photos, bound in wraps.

244. Rolling Stone Magazine September 18, 1997 (#769), prints “Tribute” by Lewis MacAdams with remembrances from friends, interview excerpts from the magazine, and a short piece by Hunter Thompson about shooting guns with Burroughs, bound in wraps.

245. Beat Scene Magazine No. 29 (Warwickshire, England: 1997), contains a lengthy section on Burroughs, plus 40th anniversary of Kerouac’s On the Road, photos of WSB on cover, bound in wraps.

246. William S. Burroughs: Ghost of Steel by Beaulieu & Hennessey, Poetic Immolation Press 1997, a scarce chapbook on WSB. Printed in an edition of only 26 copies, signed and numbered by the authors, in stapled wraps and printed envelope as issued.

247. Married Punks: A Journal of the Fringe #12 (Eureka CA: 1997), prints “An Essay on the Life and Times of William S. Burroughs” by Lee Kitzis, an ephemeral publication photocopied and side stapled in wraps.

248. Spin Magazine October 1997, prints “The Priest They Called Him” an obit by Dennis Cooper, bound in wraps.

249. Wire Magazine October 1997 (England), prints “Ghost of Chance” by Biba Kopf, includes quotes and photos, bound in wraps.

250. Black Book Magazine Autumn 1997, prints “Tribute: William Burroughs” by Victor Bockris which consists of several interview snippets, bound in wraps.

251. World Art Magazine #13, prints “Viral Cultures” by Tim Griffin about Burroughs and Artaud as art world icons. Bound in wraps.

252. High Times Magazine December 1997, prints “William Burroughs: Last of the Dead Beats” by Chris Eudaley, includes photos, bound in wraps.

253. The ‘Priest’, They Called Him: The Life and Legacy of William S. Burroughs by Graham Caveney, London: Bloomsbury 1997, an uneven bio with lots of color and illustration on nearly every page, first printing, hardbound in dust jacket.

253a. _____ New York: Little, Brown & Co. 1998, the book was re-titled as Gentleman Junkie for U.S. release one year later than above, but otherwise text and illustrations are the same. First printing, hardbound in dust jacket.

254. Chronicles of Disorder #3 prints an interview with Burroughs by Ron Whitehead in this special Beat Generation issue, bound in wraps.

255. A User’s Guide to the Millennium by J.G. Ballard, New York: Picador USA 1997, prints several reviews of Burroughs’ works, first printing, bound in wraps.

256. Factory Magazine #16, French magazine prints a 3-page remembrance of Burroughs, bound in wraps.

1998

257. A Burroughs Compendium: Calling the Toads ed. by Denis Mahoney, Watch Hill RI: Ring Tarigh books 1998, first printing, bound in wraps.

258. The Advocate January 20, 1998, prints a remembrance of Burroughs by Gary Indiana, bound in wraps.

259. My Kind of Angel i.m. William Burroughs ed. by Rupert Loydell, London: Stride 1998, a series of interviews, poetry and photos, first printing, bound in wraps.

260. The Strangest One Of All by Barry Gifford, San Francisco: Synaesthesia Press 1998, recollection of a meeting with WSB, woodcuts by Billy Childish, one of 26 lettered copies, signed by Gifford and Childish and including additional woodcuts, bound in wraps with cream envelope as issued.  

260a. _____ one of 150 numbered copies comprising the trade edition.

261. WSB: An elegiac delirium for William S. Burroughs by Stephen Ronan, Berkeley: Ammunition Press 1998, a poetic remembrance of WSB by owner of the Beat Books bookstore in Berkeley, CA. stapled wraps with stiff card covers.

262. Beat Books Catalogue #20 (London: 1998) WSB Collection, an interesting descriptive catalog of Burroughs material for sale, other beat authors as well, bound in wraps.

263. Ray Gun Magazine # 54 (March 1998), prints “Nothing Here Now But the Recordings” by John Giorno, Kathy Acker and others on the audio recordings of Burroughs, bound in wraps.

264. Pop Smear Magazine May/June 1998 includes “Inside the Bunker” photos from Burroughs’ NY headquarters of the 1970s, plus a conversation with John Giorno by Stewart Mayer, bound in wraps.

265. Author Price Guide: APG 134.1 William S. Burroughs Dickerson MD: Quill & Brush 1998, includes an example of Burroughs’ signature, brief bio and listings for his major works along with prices on would expect to pay for an item in excellent condition. Only includes books authored or co-authored by Burroughs. Photocopied sheets stapled at top. A useful guide.

265a. _____ APG 134.2 William S. Burroughs Dickerson MD: Quill & Brush 2001, updated edition, photocopied and stapled.

266. William S. Burroughs & Allen Ginsberg: A Select Bibliography of Works in the UCLA University Library ed. by Brian E.C. Schottlaender and Raymond Soto, Los Angeles: UCLA Library 1998. Published as an outgrowth of the “Here To Go” exhibition, held in the University Research Library, January-March 1998 and which featured the Kurtzman Collection of Beat Literature. Bound in wraps. 

267. Your Flesh #38 (1998), prints “The Doctor is Out” by David Livingstone includes quotes from Naked Lunch and The Place of Dead Roads, bound in wraps.

268. Beat Punks by Victor Bockris, New York: De Capo 1998, a compilation of Bockris’ interviews over the years, including several conducted with Burroughs. Also contains about a dozen photos of WSB, bound in wraps.

269. Morgan & Rosenthal Catalogue Six: Modern First Editions Authors A-D (NY, New York: 1998), book dealer catalog lists 75 Burroughs related items for sale, photo of Burroughs on cover, bound in wraps

270. Annexx #13 (San Antonio TX: 1998), reprints part of an interview with William Burroughs by Allen Ginsberg and Greg Corso from 1961, printed on newsprint, bound in wraps.

271. The Beat Generation: A Bibliographic Teaching Guide by William Lawlor, Lanham MD: Scarecrow Press 1998, an academic guide that includes a full chapter on Burroughs, hardbound without dust jacket as issued.

272. The Blue Beat Jacket # 14 (Niigata, Japan), prints “The Ticket is Exploding” an interview by Ron Whitehead, text in English, bound in wraps.

273. 21*C #26, prints “Returning to the Source” by Kathy Acker where she notes her admiration for Burroughs, includes photos of WSB, bound in wraps.

274. Cult Fiction: A Reader’s Guide ed. by Andrew Calcutt and Richard Shepard, Chicago: Contemporary Books 1998, guide to authors in alternative modern literature includes Burroughs (here referred to as “Jr.” although the entry is obviously about WSB and not his son), as well as Hunter Thompson, Tom Wolfe and many others, first printing, bound in wraps.

275. NYC Babylon: Beat Punks by Victor Bockris, London: Omnibus Press 1998, contains several interviews and many photos of Burroughs as Bockris recycles his Burroughs material yet again, first printing, bound in wraps.

276. Strassen de Zufalls uber W. S. Burroughs by Jurgen Ploog, Berlin: Druckhaus Galrev 1998, a German analysis of Burroughs work, the title of which translates to “Roads of Coincidence with William Burroughs” by longtime friend and translator Ploog. Includes several previously unpublished photos of Burroughs and other Beats and much information, first printing, bound in wraps.

1999

277. The Best of William Burroughs by John Giorno, New York: Giorno Poetry Systems 1999, this is the large format 64-page booklet that accompanied the 4 CD “Best Of Burroughs” set. Lots of color photography, bound in pictorial wraps.

278. Gadfly Magazine August 1999 (Charlottesville VA: Gadfly Productions), Victor Bockris writes on Burroughs’ life and influence, nice full-page photo of Burroughs on cover of magazine, bound in wraps.

279. Beat Writers at Work: The Paris Review edited by George Plimpton, New York: Modern Library 1999, includes chapter on Burroughs, first printing, bound in wraps.

280. Pacific Book Auction Galleries Catalog Sale #198: The Nelson Lyon Collection of William S. Burroughs, San Francisco: PBA 1999, 168 lots of items by Burroughs, all signed and inscribed to Nelson Lyon who produced the “Dead City Radio” CD of Burroughs’ readings. Laid in are the prices realized from the sale. Much descriptive information about all Burroughs items offered, some heretofore undocumented. This was one of the largest auctions of Burroughs material in over a decade, bound in wraps.

281. Conversations With William Burroughs ed. by Allen Hibbard, Jackson: University of Mississippi Press 1999, collected interviews with Burroughs on a variety of subjects, first printing, bound in wraps.

282. In Search of Yage Forest Knolls, CA: Skyline Books 1999, contains three original b&w photographs of William Burroughs in the Amazon jungle in the 1950s. The 5 x 7 photographs are corner-mounted on paper that simulates the bark of the Banisteria caapi vine. The pages are bound into covers of richly textured, sumptuous hand-made paper bound at the spine with brass screws. The booklet was designed and hand-assembled by Johnny Brewton of X-Ray Book Co. in an edition limited to only 26 lettered copies. The photographs, two of which are previously unpublished, were reproduced from the original negatives and are the only prints to be made from these negatives. Each copy signed by James Musser, the publisher.

283.  Paradise Outlaws by John Tytell, New York: William Morrow 1999, lots of photos and info from an original beat scholar and biographer, first printing, nice photo of Burroughs on cover, hardbound in dust jacket.

284. Time Out Interviews: 1968-1998 ed. By Frank Broughton, New York: Penguin/Time Out Publishing 1999, prints an interview with Burroughs that originally appeared in the magazine in 1982, first printing, bound in wraps.

2000

285. College Literature Vol. 27 no. 1 (Westchester PA: Winter 2000), a special issue on “Teaching Beat Literature” includes several articles about Burroughs and his works.

286. The Beat Hotel: Ginsberg, Burroughs & Corso in Paris, 1957-1963 by Barry Miles, New York: Grove Press 2000, hardbound in dust jacket.

287. Kansas Alumni Magazine No. 3 (2000), prints “Burroughs’ Last Words” by James Grauerholz in which he describes a planned biography of Burroughs as well as other future publications. Bound in wraps. Grauerholz is a 1973 graduate of the University of Kansas.

288. Collecting William S. Burroughs in Print: A Checklist by Eric C. Shoaf, Rumford RI: Ratishna Books 2000, nearly 1,000 entries document Burroughs’ print output from 1953- 1997 plus books and articles about Burroughs and other items of interest. One of 26 lettered copies signed by Shoaf and including a woodcut of Burroughs by Billy Childish, a postcard of Burroughs, and assorted pages from the original Grove Press printing of Naked Lunch. Bound in blue folder with stiff boards.

288a. _____ and edition of 174 numbered copies, bound in wraps.

289. Beat Scene Magazine #36 (Warwickshire, England: 2000), prints “Last Notes” by Jim McCrary about the evolution of the recently published Burroughs work Last Words, bound in wraps.

290. Steamshovel Press #17 (2000), prints previously unpublished interviews with Burroughs, Ginsberg, and Tim Leary, bound in wraps. Scarce.

291. Global Tapestry Journal (2nd Coming) #23 (2000), reprints Dan Georgakas’ 1970 London interview “William Burroughs Rapping on Revolutionary Techniques”, which appeared in the first version of “Global Tapestry Journal” in 1971. Bound in wraps.

292. William S. Burroughs: Time-Place-Word edited by Eric C. Shoaf, Providence RI: John Hay Library 2000, catalog for an exhibition of Burroughs’ printed works at Brown University Library, includes original texts by Eric C. Shoaf, John Tytell, Robin Lydenberg, Jennie Skerl, and Robert Jackson, bound in pictorial wraps, one of 1,000 copies printed. 

2001

293. Beat Books Catalogue #26 London: Andrew Sclanders 2001, lists over 200 Burroughs items in addition to other beat and modern literature material for sale. Excellent reference material, bound in wraps.

294. A Distant Book Lifted by Michael Stevens, Spicewood TX: Benjamin Spooner Books 2001, 20-page pamphlet focusing on the blurbs, forewords, afterwords, introductions, prefaces, and other items Burroughs has contributed to various publications. Small printing consists of 99 numbered copies and 26 lettered copies bound in wraps. This is one of 5 copies hardbound by Don Sanders, also signed by Stevens and with laid-in photo of Burroughs, previously unpublished, taken by Stevens.

294a. _____ en edition of 26 lettered copies signed by Stevens and bound in wraps.

294b. _____ an edition of 99 numbered copies, bound in wraps.

295. Queer Burroughs by Jamie Russell, New York: Palgrave 2001, scholarly treatise on Burroughs’ life and writing with a focus on homosexuality, first printing, hardbound without dust jacket as issued.

296. An American Avant Garde: First Wave Columbus: Ohio State University, 2001, an exhibit catalog featuring the William S. Burroughs Collection at Ohio State University, 48 pages with illustrations, some in color, and with an introduction by James Grauerholz about the personal papers of William Burroughs. Highlights from the Burroughs Collection are included – books, manuscripts, letters, and other scarce items. Bound in wraps.

297. Modern Literature with William S. Burroughs San Francisco: PBA Galleries 2001, an auction catalog containing listings for the Robert Torgerson collection of William S. Burroughs (42 lots total) with photos of several lots for sale. Sale #233 from PBA Galleries (formerly Pacific Book Auction Galleries). Bound in wraps.

298. Beat Books Catalogue #29 London: Andrew Sclanders 2001, lists about 150 Burroughs items in addition to other beat and modern literature items for sale. Excellent reference material, bound in wraps.

299. The Anchor December 11 & December 18, 2001, (Providence RI: Rhode Island College), reprints a two-part interview conducted with Burroughs by students in 1974. Includes photos of Burroughs. Two issues, each bound in wraps. 

300. William S. Burroughs: You Can’t Win an Interview by Anne Waldman and John Oughton, Salt Lake City: Elik Press 2001, a small pamphlet that reprints an interview with Burroughs from 1978, one of 100 numbered copies, bound in wraps.

301. Texas Monthly October 2001, prints “Looking for Bill” about Burroughs’ time in Texas in the early 1950s. Includes photos, bound in wraps.

302. Book of Changes: Interviews by Kristine McKenna, Seattle: Fantagraphics Books 2001, prints an interview with Burroughs, bound in wraps.

303. Arizona Quarterly Vol. 57 no. 4 (Winter 2001), prints “William S. Burroughs and corporate public relations” by Joseph McNicholas, bound in wraps.

2002

304. Colonial Affairs: Bowles, Burroughs, and Chester Write Tangier ed. by Greg Mullins, Madison: University of Wisconsin Press 2002, includes an entire chapter devoted to Burroughs’ time in Tangier, first printing, bound in wraps.

305. Popular Paranoia ed. by Kenn Thomas, Kempton IL: Adventures Unlimited Press 2002, an anthology from the Steamshovel Press magazine, prints an interview with Burroughs, bound in wraps.

306. Garage Jacker #7, prints a previously published interview with Burroughs, homebrewed little mag, bound in wraps.

2003

307. [Not Only] blue Magazine January 2003 (Sydney, Australia), prints “The Dean of Iniquity” including photos of Burroughs, bound in wraps.

308. OP Magazine Mar/Apr 2003, prints “The Don of Duke Street: An Evening with William S. Burroughs” by Richard Goodman, from an interview originally conducted in 1975, bound in wraps.

309. Headpress (Flicker Machine Edition) Number 25 London: 2003, prints an interview with Burroughs by Johnny Strike and Gregory Ego and also several reviews of Burroughs’ work, bound in wraps.

310. Takaga Barozu-bon (Burroughs) by Hiroo Yamagata, Tokyo: Omura Shoten 2003, excellent critical biography of Burroughs published in Japanese, bound in wraps with wrap-around band.

311. The Paris Review Book of… Since 1953 by the Editors of Paris Review, New York: Picador 2003, prints part of an interview with Burroughs, first printing, hardbound in dust jacket.

312. For William Burroughs: Prague Writers’ Festival 2003, Prague: PWF 2003, catalog and program for the 2003 writers’ event in Czeckoslovacia. Includes articles and interviews about and with Burroughs as well as photographs. Text in English and Czeck. Bound in wraps.

2004

313. The Road to Interzone: Reading William S. Burroughs Reading by Michael Stevens, [nd] 2004, complete draft of an unpublished manuscript that analyzes Burroughs reading habits through his life including his personal library. Comb-bound in wrappers.

314. Retaking the Universe: William S. Burroughs in the Age of Globalization ed. by Davis Schneiderman and Philip Walsh, London/Sterling VA: Pluto Press 2004, critical essays and analysis of Burroughs’ works, first edition, bound in wraps.

315. Book Collector December 2004 (UK), Brit magazine focuses on a ‘Complete Collector’s Guide to the Beat Generation’ and includes extensive bio and price guide for Burroughs’ works. Bound in wraps.

2006

316. Yeti #3 (2006), prints an interview with Burroughs by Alan Greenberg from March 1997, bound in wraps with music CD attached.

317. Lost Years of William S. Burroughs: Beats in South Texas by Rob Johnson, College Station, TX: Texas A&M University Press 2006, detailed and well-researched scholarly treatment of Burroughs period in Texas, bound in wraps.

318. Behutet Number 29 (Spring 2006), prints “Unleash the Word Horde, Part 1” by Richard Behrens, includes photos, bound in wraps.

319. Behutet Number 30 (Summer 2006), prints “Unleash the Word Horde, Part 2” by Richard Behrens, publication subtitled ‘Modern Thelemic Magick & Culture,’ bound in wraps.

320. AnOther Man #2 (Spring/Summer 2006), prints “Dinner with Burroughs and Warhol” by Bockris-Schmidlapp, most of the text is taken from the Blueboy magazine 1980 text of this meeting, new photos by Marcia Resnick, bound in wraps.

2007

321. People March 5, 2007, Australian men’s magazine prints “Word Criminal” by Nathan Sykes about Burroughs’ life, bound in wraps.

322. Die Siete No. 308 (2007), Mexican magazine prints “William Burroughs: Este Viejo, no era solo un loco” by Tim Cumming, text in Spanish, bound in wraps.

323. Mutate or Die — With William Burroughs in Kansas by David Ohle, Coventry, UK: Beat Scene Press 2007, reflections on time spent with Burroughs in his later years, an edition of 125 signed numbered copies, bound in wraps.

by Eric C. Shoaf

In many ways, the magazines and serials are much more difficult to document than books because they were so prevalent at the time. Small press publishing took off in the 1960s, and Burroughs would send something from his “word horde” to nearly any editor who sent a request. In other instances, publishers would simply appropriate a Burroughs contribution from another source and reprint. Such were those heady times.

Looking over the 300+ C items uncovered by M&M, one is staggered by the enormity of the work. Many of them are foreign publications, and others obscure, ephemeral, or just plain rare. It isn’t as if Burroughs was sent a complementary copy of each title by the publishers. No, someone had to uncover many of them and the only way was to save a copy when it was published or note it soon after. From this perspective, M&M did a fabulous job and this relatively short list in no way should be construed as denigrating their efforts.

For whatever reason, none of the 25 items collected here and published before 1974 were included in M&M. In addition, there are a couple of variant printings of titles noted by M&M. Many items listed here contain previously published material, while others have unique contributions. The goal, as always, is to further the understanding and promote scholarship of Burroughs’ writing from over the years.

A final note: the index in M&M cannot be considered completely reliable as there are abundant omissions from the main text. The only way to check for items is to search the listings directly by year.

Not in Maynard & Miles: The C Items

Wildcat Adventures June 1959 (Vol. 1 no. 1), Burroughs contributes “Junkie” attributed to “William Lee” in this men’s magazine. The lengthy excerpt from Junkie runs for many pages and includes lurid illustrations. 

Haute Societe No. 2 (Septembre 1960), Burroughs contributes “Le Déjeuner Nu (fragment)” to this French language publication, comprising an excerpt from Naked Lunch. M&M called No. 1 of this title a “one shot publication” as C18 of their work. There were actually three issues before the title folded, the first two with Burroughs contributions.

Bonniers Litterara Magasin #6 (July-August 1962), Burroughs contributes “‘Novia Express’ an excerpt” to this magazine published in Sweden.

Akzente #6/62 (December 1962), Burroughs contributes two excerpts from Naked Lunch to this German literary journal.

Bizarre #28 (2nd Trimestre 1963), Burroughs contributes untitled comments on the art of Guy Harloff to this French periodical, text in English.

The Spero Vol. 1 no. 1 (Flint MI: Fenian Head Centre Press 1965), Burroughs contributes “Coldspring News” limited to 500 numbered copies and bound in wraps with two folding inserts. Noted as M&M C124, but there was also a “Contributor’s Edition” of 100 copies with a different wraps design not listed in M&M.

Transatlantic Review #21 (Summer 1966), Burroughs contributes “The Speaking Clock” and a second short selection. 

Tel Quel #27 (autumn 1966), Burroughs contributes “Mais est-ce tout arriere siege de reverie” to this French literary journal, consisting of excerpts from Nova Express, text in French.

The Florida Quarterly Vol. 1 no. 2 (Fall 1967), Burroughs contributes “23 Skiddoo Eristic Elite.” Reprinted from International Times August 1967.

The Rat: Subterranean News Dec. 13, 1967 – Jan. 2, 1968, Burroughs contributes “On Scientific Suppression.” Apparently an original work.

Esquire Magazine August 1968, Burroughs contributes “Wind Die, You Die, We Die.” It is surprising that M&M missed this one in such a mainstream publication.

Glebe Vol. 1 no. 2 (Greenfield CA: 1968), Burroughs contributes “The Literary Techniques of Lady Sutton-Smith.” Reprinted from Times Literary Supplement 1964.

Rat Magazine March 1, 1969, Burroughs contributes “Mind Control.” This is probably M&M C268 which they noted as “c. Feb. 1970.” This copy dated using advertisements listed inside. 

Contact Magazine August 1970, Burroughs contributes “MOB” in a column attributed as “Edited by William Burroughs and Alexander Trocchi.”

Mayfair Magazine Vol. 5 no. 1 (1970), Burroughs contributes “My Challenge to Scientology.” Apparently an original work not published elsewhere.

East Village Other Vol. 5 no. 36 (August 4, 1970), Burroughs contributes “Storm the Reality Studios.” Reprinted from Friends July 1970.

The Realist No. 88 (January-February 1971), Burroughs contributes a lengthy quote in a story about Terry Southern who is trying to persuade the publisher of his book Blue Movie to advertise in the alternative press.  

Le Nouveau Planete #21 (Avril-Mai 1971), Burroughs contributes “Radio-Vie: Entretien Avec William Burroughs” from the book of the same name, French text.

Buffalo Cold Spring Precinct 23 Bulletin (Buffalo NY: Intrepid Press 1971), a curious publication edited by Allen DeLoach with “William Lee” listed as Editor-in-Chief. A note on verso of title page reads in part “…actually evolved out of various letters the author [DeLoach] was writing concurrently to William Burroughs, Brion Gysin…” Burroughs’ Dr. Benway character appears in several of the pieces but it is not clear how much input Burroughs had in the final text.

Renaissance No. 8 Supplement ([no date, assumed 1971] San Francisco), Burroughs contributes “O Hungry Self” also contributions from Ginsberg, Leary, Snyder, Norse, Hoffman and others. Apparently an original work. Blurb on rear wrap states “Renaissance incorporates Notes from the Underground” which had apparently folded. Not listed in the Ginsberg Bibliography by Morgan, itself a useful source of comparison for many Burroughs contributions.

Apeiros #2 (Paris: 1972), Burroughs contributes “Electronic Revolution” with Brion Gysin, text in English. An excerpt from the book of the same name.

Iowa Review Spring 1972, Burroughs contributes “The End” and there is also an article about WSB by John Vernon. An excerpt from Naked Lunch.

Tropos #5 (Madrid, Spain 1972), Burroughs contributes “Revolucion Electronica.” An excerpt from Electronic Revolution with text in Spanish.

The Image #7 (1972, London, UK), Burroughs contributes “DC49.” Apparently an original work.

Fifth Estate January 6, 1973 (Detroit MI: 1973), Burroughs contributes “William Burroughs: Naked Lunch” which is comprised of an excerpt from Naked Lunch.  

Part One of “Not in Maynard & Miles”

by Eric C. Shoaf

Man Alone: Alienation in Modern Society ed. by Eric and Mary Josephson, (New York: Dell Publishing Inc., 1962), Burroughs contributes “Deposition: Testimony Concerning a Sickness” bound in wraps.

Reliefs / Machines: An Exhibition Catalog of Works by Mark Brusse (Arnheim, Holland: Gallery 20, 1963), Burroughs contributes a brief untitled text (in English) dated March 1, 1963, one of 1,000 copies printed, bound in wraps.

The Addict in the Street ed. by Jeremy Larner & Ralph Tefferteller, (New York: Grove Press, 1964), Burroughs contributes an untitled quote from Naked Lunch that sort of serves as a preface to the book, hardbound in dust jacket.

The Speakers by William Heathcote, (New York: Grove Press, 1964), Burroughs contributes a blurb to the rear cover of the dust jacket, hardbound.

Uvoltes: Vallomasok a Beat Nemzedekrol ed. by Sukosd Mihaly, (Budapest, Hungary: Europa Könyvkiado, 1965), Burroughs contributes “Meztelen ebed (Reszlet)” an excerpt from Naked Lunch. Text in Hungarian. The book was #117 in a series the publisher called “Modern Könyvtar,” bound in wraps.

The World of Black Humor ed. by Douglas M. Davis, (New York: EP Dutton, 1967), Burroughs contributes “From Nova Express” bound in wraps.

Authors Take Sides on Vietnam ed. by Cecil Woolf, (New York: Simon & Schuster, 1967), Burroughs contributes an untitled reply, bound in wraps. Noted as Maynard & Miles B32. But there was also a special edition of 300 copies for contributors, hardbound in blue buckram covers, with a complements slip from publisher not listed in M&M. Did Burroughs not receive his copy?

The Attempt by John Hopkins, (New York: Viking, 1967), Burroughs contributes a blurb about the book on the front inner dust jacket panel, hardbound.

Red-Dirt Marijuana by Terry Southern, (New York: Signet, 1968), Burroughs contributes a blurb to the first page inside the cover, bound in wraps.

Addiction & Opiates by Alfred R. Lindesmith, (Chicago: Aldine Publishing, 1968), Burroughs contributes a brief excerpt from “Kicking Drugs: A Very Personal Story” hardbound in dust jacket.

Sheeper by Irving Rosenthal, (New York: Evergreen Black Cat, 1968), Burroughs contributes a blurb to the rear cover, first printing, bound in wraps.

Takis: Evidence of the Unseen by Wayne Anderson, (Cambridge: M.I.T., 1968), exhibition catalog with commentaries by Marcel Duchamp, Gregory Corso, Allen Ginsberg, and William Burroughs, Published on occasion of the Takis Exhibition at the Heyden Gallery at MIT, Cambridge MA, Nov. 15 – Dec 8, 1968. Bound in wraps.

Infamous Sex Maniacs ed. by J.P. Woodruff, (San Diego: Publisher’s Export Co., 1969), Burroughs contributes an untitled, but lengthy, excerpt from Naked Lunch, bound in wraps.

Smiling Through the Apocalypse: Esquire’s History of the Sixties ed. by Harold Hayes, (New York: McCall, 1969), Burroughs contributes “The Coming of the Purple Better One” hardbound in dust jacket.

Stomping the Goyim by Michael Disend, (New York: Croton Press, 1969), Burroughs contributes a blurb to the rear of the dust jacket, hardbound

Some of IT ed. by David Mairowitz, (London: Knuller, 1969), Burroughs contributes several pieces including a special introduction. In their listing for B52, Maynard & Miles note three variant issues of this work but this is a fourth variant differing from the others in the form of the “IT-Girl” logo on printed wraps.

Victims of our Fear ed. By Tina Morris, (Lancshire, England: Screeches Publications, [no date -1969?]), Burroughs contributes a 40-50 word quote concerning white supremacy, bound in wraps. “Review Copy” written in pencil on front. This publication also noted in the Am Here Books Catalog 5.

Pig by Jeff Nuttall, (London: Fulcrum Press, 1969), Preface by Burroughs, listed as M&M B53, but does not note the simultaneous wraps issue of this title.

Marz Texte 1 (Darmstadt: Marz Verlag, 1969), Burroughs contributes “Die Zukunft des Romans” a German translation of ‘The Future of the Novel’ taken from remarks at the 1962 International Writers Conference in Edinburgh, bound in wraps with bright yellow dust jacket.

The Red Hot Vacuum by Theodore Solotaroff, (New York: Atheneum, 1970), Burroughs contributes several excerpts from Naked Lunch, hardbound in dust jacket.

The Best of S.F. 12 (London: Mayflower Books, 1970), first British printing, bound in wraps. Burroughs contributes “They Do Not Always Remember.” Published originally in New York by Dellacorte in 1968 as S.F. 12 and listed as M&M B36a.

The Last of the Moccasins by Charles Plymell, (San Francisco: City Lights, 1971), Burroughs contributes a blurb to the rear cover, bound in wraps.

Munching on Existence ed. by Robert Gliner and R.A. Raines,(New York: The Free Press, 1971), Burroughs contributes “From Naked Lunch” to this anthology, bound in wraps.

Bad News by Paul Spike, (New York: Holt Rinehart Winston, 1971), Burroughs contributes a blurb to the rear dust jacket panel, hardbound.

New American Story ed. by Donald Allen and Robert Creeley, (London: Penguin UK, 1971). Originally published in New York by Grove Press in 1965, in which Burroughs contributed “Ordinary Men and Women” and “Censorship.” Noted as Maynard & Miles B18a. Here in the UK edition not listed by M&M, Burroughs’ contribution has been changed — “Ordinary” replaced by two extracts from Nova Express, “Censorship” is retained, bound in wraps.

Scattered Poems by Jack Kerouac, (San Francisco: City Lights Books, 1971), Burroughs contributes the cover photo, bound in wraps.

Bad News by Paul Spike, (New York: Holt Rinehart Winston, 1971), Burroughs contributes a blurb to the rear dust jacket panel, first printing, hardbound.

Matata by Malcolm McConnell, (New York: Viking, 1971), Burroughs contributes a lengthy blurb about the book to the rear cover, hardbound in dust jacket.

Aqua Lunge by Jorg Fauser, (Gottingen: Udo Breger, 1971), Burroughs contributes a short blurb to this publication in German language, bound in wraps.

The Open Conspiracy: What America’s Angry Generation is Saying by Ellen Grodzins Romm, (New York: Avon Books, 1971), Burroughs contributes untitled quotes, bound in wraps.

The Urban Adventurers ed. by Thomas Boyle and James Merritt, (New York: McGraw-Hill, 1972), Burroughs contributes “From Naked Lunch” to this anthology, bound in wraps.

Parvis à L’Echo des Cils ed. by Jean-Clause Maillard, (Paris: Jean-Jacques Pauvert, 1972), Burroughs contributes 3 pages of reproductions from his scrapbooks, text in French, bound in wraps.

The Lucifer Society ed. by Peter Haining, (New York: Taplinger Publications, 1972), Burroughs contributes “Exterminator” hardbound in dust jacket.

Criminal Life: Views from the Inside ed. by David Peterson and Marcello Truzzi, (Englewood Cliffs NJ: Prentice-Hall, 1972), Burroughs contributes “My First Days on Junk” bound in wraps.

Visions of Cody by Jack Kerouac, (New York: McGraw-Hill, 1972), Burroughs contributes a photo of Kerouac to the rear dust jacket, hardbound.

Infra Noir by Claude Pelieu, (Paris: Le Soleil Noir, 1972), Burroughs contributes “L’Insurrection Invisible — Words Falling Photo Falling Break Thru in the Grey Room” text in French, one of 1,000 numbered copied, bound in wraps with tissue jacket.

Floating Bear Anthology ed. by Leroi Jones and Diane di Prima, (La Jolla CA: Laurence McGilvery, 1973), Burroughs contributes several pieces to this anthology collecting the complete output for this magazine. Hardbound in without dust jacket as issued, plus there was also an edition bound in wraps.

Sex & Drugs: A Journey Beyond Limits by Robert A. Wilson, (Chicago: Playboy Press, 1973), Burroughs contributes a blurb to the front inner dust jacket panel, first printing, hardbound in dust jacket.

Structures Implicit and Explicit ed. by James Bryan and Rolf Sauer, (Philadelphia: Graduate School of Fine Arts at University of Pennsylvania, 1973), Burroughs contributes “Abstract” bound in wraps.

The Process by Brion Gysin, (London: Panther, 1973), Burroughs contributes a blurb to the front cover and a quote about Gysin to the first inner page, first printing in wraps.

by Eric C. Shoaf

The Burroughs bibliography by Maynard & Miles (William S. Burroughs: A Bibliography, 1953-73 by Joe Maynard & Barry Miles, [Charlottesville: University of Virginia Press, 1978], hereinafter referred to as M&M) is subtitled “Unlocking Inspector Lee’s Word Hoard.” And it does just that, gathering the fullness of Burroughs’ printed work from the twenty-year period it covers. As noted in the Preface to the work, Maynard focused on the books and primary publications, while Miles worked on secondary sources. In devoting much of his efforts to the B items (books and anthologies) and C items (magazines, journals, and serials), Miles was informed and assisted by his work in 1972 on cataloging the Burroughs archive prior to its initial sale. He notes that this work in the archive added dozens of titles to his listing of B and C items of which he had no previous knowledge.

But not even Burroughs, who still owned the archive at the time, had copies of every title to which he contributed or that published his work. There are the inevitable gaps in M&M, and since no other official bibliography of Burroughs’ works has been produced since, those gaps remain. No doubt some were exposed during the years waiting for actual publication of the bibliography in 1978. Indeed, there is at least one item included in the bibliography that dates from 1974 (M&M D19) and certainly there must have been some chagrin on the part of the authors as omissions were discovered over the years. Such is the lot of the bibliographer.

However, in any enterprise of this sort, finding everything is a challenge. The amount of ephemeral titles among the little magazines or underground press that favored Burroughs’ work is staggering enough. Add to it the foreign book titles, often not available outside the country of publication, the un-attributed, un-indexed, or unknown anthologies or books and it adds up to a lot of items. Technological advances of internet commerce and communications have created an environment where this material can now be found sometimes. Book dealers have stock listed online and these can be searched electronically. Online auction sites offer a plethora of titles. But that doesn’t mean the sleuthing is over, that the dusty shelves of side-street bookstores are no longer locations for prime resources. I have been collecting Burroughs for over 25 years, and have been able to document a number of items that were published during the period covered by the M&M bibliography but not included therein. In some cases there is surprise that an item wasn’t noted, in other cases surprise that I was able to uncover it at all.

This documentation takes the form of two parts: first is the B items here and, following that, the C items. The B items are Burroughs’ contributions to anthologies and books. They may be reprints of material previously published, or an original work. They are arranged here in order by publication date. All are first printings, and references to “bound in wraps” denote softcover binding whereas “hardbound in dust jacket” is self-explanatory. Some of these are short quotes or “blurbs,” as they are known, about the contents of a book that appear on the front or rear of the title’s cover or dust jacket. M&M did not explicitly include jacket blurbs in the bibliography, but neither did they exclude them as some are listed in the F (miscellaneous) section. Here they are considered a B item, as they are often original quotes related to the monograph in hand. While M&M also placed exhibit catalogs in the F section, they are considered here as B items. In any event, none of the roughly forty items collected here and published before 1974 were included in M&M. In addition, there are a few variant editions of titles noted by M&M. Some items listed here contain previously published material, while others have unique contributions. The goal, as always, is to further the understanding and promote scholarship of Burroughs’ writing from over the years.

Not in Maynard & Miles

• B Items
• C Items

Special thanks to Michael Stevens for his work in identifying some of the Burroughs blurbs.

Jed Birmingham on William S. Burroughs Collecting

My Own Mag is a bibliographic nightmare. There is no general consensus on the correct order of the first eight issues of the seventeen issue run. This might be by design. Nuttall, like Ed Sanders, possessed a devilish air and a flair for the bibliographically ridiculous. In an effort to frustrate and confuse collectors as well as parody the numbering of magazines, Sanders altered his bibliographic system at issue five and then continued sequentially from there for eight more issues. In a similar vein, Stan Persky, the editor of Open Space, a San Francisco magazine dedicated to the Jack Spicer circle, made issue nine impossible to obtain thereby making complete runs almost unheard of.

Complete runs of My Own Mag are rare, but not unheard of. In 1986, Nuttall decided he wanted out of Great Britain and planned an exile in Portugal. Nuttall returned to live in England within the year, but in preparation for his trip, he cleared out his papers in Todmorden and summoned Iain Sinclair to remove the archives. Many may know of Sinclair as the author of a slew of books, such as Downriver and London Orbital, detailing the arcane and underworld history of London. Early in his literary career, Sinclair was a poet influenced by the Beats. Sinclair associated with the British avant-garde scene including Jeff Nuttall. (On an interesting side note, Beat Scene Magazine, edited by Kevin Ring, just reissued the cult favorite Kodak Mantra Diaries in December 2006. The diaries are Sinclair’s account of Allen Ginsberg’s adventures in the British underground in the late 1960s). It is less known that he is also a legendary bookman, one of the pioneers in the rare book market for the Beat Generation. Sinclair’s books often deal with the shadowy world of book scouts, like in White Chappell, Scarlet Tracings. References to the rare book world permeate his novels.

In September 1986, Iain Sinclair Books issued a catalog entitled Jeff Nuttall and the Beats featuring “the bounty from that raid.” The first item in the catalog was a complete run of My Own Mag. Sinclair quotes the Maynard & Miles Burroughs bibliography section on My Own Mag.

Here is the Maynard & Miles explanation of the chronology of My Own Mag in full:

I have used the sequence suggested by Bob Cobbing (who mimeographed the early issues) with the exception of transposing his no. 1 for his no. 2, which order still disagrees with the sequence given to me by the editor in 1968. The sequence here established agrees, however, with the editor’s statements concerning the magazine in his biographical volume Bomb Culture (London, 1968) in which he says that he wrote to WSB only after the first issue was out. However, in the same book he says that issue 8 was the first to contain an issue of Moving Times. This does not agree with Cobbing’s sequence, which shows the first issue of Moving Times as appearing in issue 6. Cobbing’s sequence also shows issue 8 preceding by two issues of The Burrough, which is essentially the same thing as Moving Times (they appear in issues 5 and 7).

The seemingly most helpful entries in the Maynard & Miles bibliography are those dedicated to the haphazard My Own Mag. They are also incorrect as we shall see. The bibliography acknowledges the magazine’s confusing nature. “This magazine is notorious for its lack of numbering and pagination (as well as having pages burned, slashed and stained).” Maynard & Miles’ explanation of their chronology is not that clear either. Jeff Nuttall and Bob Cobbing could not agree on the sequencing of the first eight issues and even Nuttall contradicted himself in various places.

In his catalog, Sinclair provides further comment on the bizarre nature of Nuttall’s bibliographic system: “The note [from Maynard & Miles] produced above gives some idea of the bibliographical complexity of My Own Mag.” Sinclair provides his own chronology in his catalog that differs substantially from that of Maynard & Miles, Nuttall, and Cobbing. Sinclair writes of the rest of the Nuttall material in the catalog, “The rest has either passed through Charing Cross Road like a can of beans, or is locked away from human eyes in a lightless vault known as ‘the 60ies collection.'” Nuttall entrusted Robert Bank with “the 60ies collection” in 1986. Bank met Nuttall in 1980 through Eric Mottram. Mottram taught at King College in London and wrote The Algebra of Need, the first full-length study of Burroughs’ work. Bank writes, “It’s quite a fascinating lot of documents, in fact runs up to the 80s — includes stuff from the British Poetry Revival — but more importantly a manuscript — 3 page cut up, each page signed by Burroughs, together with correspondence from Claude Pelieu and Mary Beach and Carl Weissner…” Bank is scanning the archive, a monumental task, but you can see the fruits of his labor at the Life and Times of Jeff Nuttall web site as well as on RealityStudio.

On the rarity of Nuttall’s magazine, Sinclair writes, “The chances of coming on a complete run of My Own Mag are pretty good: as good as the chances of coming on a piece of the true cross in Brick Lane Market.” But included on the Jeff Nuttall website is yet another complete run of My Own Mag. Bank borrowed this set from Islwyn Watkins, an old friend of Nuttall from the 1960s. Nuttall writes about Watkins in Bomb Culture and immortalized him in the Burroughs-inspired cut-up “Mr. Watkins got drunk and had to be carried home.” Bank scanned the entire contents of My Own Mag. Thank you, Robert!! Bank’s chronology of My Own Mag for the most part recreates Sinclair’s list from the 1986 catalog.

At the 1999 Nelson Lyon auction, a complete run of My Own Mag was lot 155. The Pacific Book Auction catalog describes the lot as “the only complete collection of My Own Mag known to exist.” Clearly, this is an exaggeration, but the fact that each issue is signed and inscribed (in some cases multiple times) by Burroughs with additional signatures by Gregory Corso and Allen Ginsberg makes Lyon’s set truly unique. The set fetched $3000. Pacific Book Auction relied on the Maynard & Miles entries for its catalog. Interestingly, Lyon purchased this set from a rare book dealer (not Sinclair) and solicited Burroughs, Ginsberg and Corso for the signatures later. BeatBooks’s most recent catalog offered a yet another complete set for sale for under $1500. Andrew Sclanders cobbled together the set himself. A rare feat indeed, but not unique. Even so, complete runs of My Own Mag, like the Digit Junkie, are close to the “true cross” for Burroughs collectors.

While a handful of sets of My Own Mag exist, all parties associated with the magazine agree on the confusion surrounding the order of issues. Thankfully, there is a consensus on the numbering of Issues 9 through 17. These issues provide a high degree of bibliographic sanity compared to the earlier issues. As Robert Bank notes in his essay, Burroughs insisted on this change. These magazines are in some cases dated with a month and year making it possible to create a chronology. For example Issue 9 is dated November 1964. Issues 11 and 12 are dated as well. Just so things would not get too simple, Issue 10, the British Special, is not dated or numbered. The Dutch Schultz Special Issue is dated August 1965 and numbered 13. After Issue 13 every magazine is so marked.

On the other hand, issues one through eight give little useful bibliographic information. They are unnumbered and undated. In order to determine their chronology, it is necessary to delve into the history of the magazine’s creation and tell the story of its relationship with Burroughs. What follows are my confusing explorations into Jeff Nuttall’s correspondence, the history of My Own Mag, and published historical accounts. Robert Bank cuts through all the bullshit and lays it out straight.

In my opinion the first issue of My Own Mag corresponds to the published bibliographies of Sinclair and Maynard & Miles. This is contrary to Maynard & Miles’ interview with Nuttall in 1968 and Cobbing’s suggestions but it jives with the events surrounding the beginnings of the magazine. In Bomb Culture, a sociological history of the development of the international Underground, Nuttall blends his personal story with the history of the counterculture. My Own Mag grew out of a stew of the Committee for Nuclear Disarmarment, the scene around Bob Cobbing at Better Books, the work of Cobbing’s Writer’s Forum, and the development of the British Poetry Revival. Allen Fisher described the scene surrounding My Own Mag as follows: Nuttall’s “understanding of Kaprow’s happenings and Burroughs’ fiction, already evident to him in the early 1960s, linked to some aspects of Romanesque sculpture, Ken Colyer jazz and Dylan Thomas, made a unique recipe for My Own Mag and his subsequent poetry and fiction.”

In Bomb Culture, Nuttall writes, “I had just duplicated a book of poems with Keith Musgrove. The possibilities of duplicating (mimeographing) yawned invitingly. I turned out My Own Mag: A Super Absorbent Periodical in November 1963, as an example of the sort of thing we might do.” He continued, “The French teacher at the school where I worked duplicated the first mag for me. He liked it. He said, ‘Do it again.’ His name was Bob Cobbing.”

Bob Cobbing deserves special attention as his influence on My Own Mag cannot be overstated. Cobbing was a sound, concrete and performance poet central to the British Poetry Revival of the 1960s. This page of recollections highlights the power of his talent and personality. In 1963 as an outgrowth of his poetry and performances, he started the Writer’s Forum, a do-it-yourself publishing machine. Cobbing’s output and energy were legendary. In the early 1960s, Cobbing left his teaching position and took a job at Better Books. Better Books on Charing Cross Road became a hotspot for the British Underground. Cobbing began experimenting with the cut-up technique in the 1950s and his interest in concrete poetry and sound experiments paralleled Burroughs’ explorations in the 1960s. Cobbing, as well as Nuttall, is an under-appreciated figure in the history of modern literature and publishing. An essay on Cobbing and the Writer’s Forum appears in A Book of the Book: Some Works and Projections about the Book and Writing. Granary Books, the publisher of the collection, recognizes the importance of Cobbing in the history of the book and publishing as well as the history yet to be written in the years to come. Granary Books should know.

Nuttall distributed the first magazine to roughly twenty people and gave the rest to Better Books to sell for a penny each. Ray Gosling, Anselm Hollo and William Burroughs all responded to the first issue. Given Cobbing and Nuttall’s artistic concerns, not to mention Burroughs’ close ties to and legendary status within the little magazine community, it is not very surprising that the first issue of My Own Mag would land in Burroughs’ hands, and that he would in turn reach out to Nuttall. Clearly, Burroughs received but was not in the first issue despite Cobbing’s claims. Burroughs and Hollo appear in what the bibliography and Sinclair designate as issue two: The Odour Fill Periodical. Sinclair suggested that this issue was published in December 1963 and Maynard & Miles date the issue in January / February 1964. Gosling and Hollo appear in issue three: “newspapers velvet to the touch in super-absorbencies” in February 1964.

This chronology corresponds with Burroughs’ own recollection of My Own Mag. Burroughs inscribed the “Super Absorbency Issue” of My Own Mag from the Lyon set, “this rare item My Own Mag cheered me when I was under siege in Tangier.” In the Odour Fill Periodical, Burroughs added: “My first appearance in this periodical.” In his foreword to his bibliography, Burroughs writes, “1964… No. 4 Calle Larachi, Tangier. My Own Mag… smell of kerosene heaters, hostile neighbors, stones thudding against the door. Jeff Nuttall sent me a copy of My Own Mag and asked me to contribute. I recall the delivery of the first copies to which I had contributed was heralded by a wooden top crashing through the skylight.” These facts support the idea that Burroughs’ first appearance was in the second issue.

Burroughs’s first appearance probably occurred in very late December 1963 or early January 1964. In January 1964, Burroughs sent his son, Billy, back to the United States after a failed attempt to play a more active role in his life. Shortly thereafter, Nuttall and Burroughs met each other. Nuttall writes, “Burroughs sent his first testing letters from Tangier. In the bitter winter of 1964, he came to London.” At their meeting, Nuttall got drunk in a local pub and stumbled home. The Burroughs-inspired Mr. Watkins followed soon after. I would suggest that by the time of their meeting Burroughs already appeared in My Own Mag and that the meeting was something of a planning and / or feeling out session for further collaborations.

After Issue 4, Burroughs took a much more active role in the magazine, editing his own section: alternately entitled The Burrough or The Moving Times. Sinclair and Maynard & Miles disagree on the chronology of Issues 5 through 8. Sinclair follows Nuttall’s recollections in Bomb Culture. Nuttall remembers that the first copy of The Moving Times arrived from Burroughs in May 1964 and was included in the Special Tangier Issue. According to Nuttall, the Tangier Issue was number five. Maynard & Miles place the Tangiers Issue as number Eight after two issues of The Burrough and an issue of The Moving Times. In this case, they misquote Nuttall in Bomb Culture. (See quote from Maynard & Miles above.) In addition, Maynard & Miles side with Bob Cobbing’s memory of events. Cobbing suggested that the first issue of Moving Times was in issue 6 and that two issues of The Burrough preceded the Tangier Issue.

I would side with Sinclair’s suggested list given that he relies on Nuttall’s Bomb Culture written in 1968 near the time of My Own Mag. Cobbing’s recollections seem unreliable. It should be remembered that Cobbing believed that Burroughs appeared in the premier issue. Sinclair’s list also dovetails with the datelines of newpaper articles used by Burroughs in his cut-ups. Given the rapid, timely nature of Burroughs’ three-column works of the period it makes sense that he would incorporate current articles in The Moving Times pieces and then rush them to Nuttall for publication. For example, the dateline in the Tangier issue is February 10, 1964 which is the earliest of the dates mentioned in the disputed issues 5 through 8. This supports Nuttall’s recollection in Bomb Culture and Sinclair’s list.

Correspondence in the possession of Robert Bank seconds Sinclair’s placement of the Tangier Issue and supports Nuttall’s recollection in Bomb Culture. An undated postcard mentions sending material for the Tangier Issue and states that an earlier issue has sold out, probably issue 3 or 4. I suggest that this postcard was from late April / early May 1964. In Bomb Culture, Nuttall remembers that he received his first Moving Times piece in May. The mimeograph was churning out issue 4 by April 1964 (“Glad to hear that the presses are turning” April 6, 1964). Sinclair suggests that issue 4 was printed in March. It would have to be late March or possibly April. On June 18, 1964, Burroughs gave a progress report on the latest My Own Mag in the local bookstores. This was either the Warning Warning Issue (No. 4) or the Tangier Issue (No. 5). Given the mail system, there would be some delay before Burroughs received his copies. I would guess it is the Tangier Issue as Burroughs states he will write in more detail. That would be a letter dated July 8, 1964. In this letter, Burroughs apologizes for the delay in writing and states that the newest issue is selling well (Tangier Issue), and he requests additional copies of a sold-out issue with the burnt edges (issue 4). The date of July dovetails with Sinclair’s chronology for the Tangier issue as does Burroughs’ brief mention of the “newspaper format.” This refers to The Moving Times piece, his first sustained exploration of the three-column format, which appeared in the Tangier Issue. There is no mention of the multicolored cut-up issue at all suggesting it is in the process of publication, has yet to be published, or has yet to be delivered by early July. Who really knows? Not even Nuttall and Cobbing can remember exactly.

Let me throw my hat in the ring and extend this further to suggest my own chronology based on the datelines used in the cut-ups. According to this method, the Edinburgh Festival Issue (featuring a cut-up article from April 1964) would come before the “Over the Last Skyscraper a Silent Kite,” burnt-hole issue (featuring a cut-up article from May 1964). Naturally, this differs from all previous chronologies. It also does not quite fit the available evidence. Sinclair lists the Edinburgh Festival issue as being published in August 1964. This makes perfect sense since the Festival ran from August 16-September 5 that year. (For more on the Edinburgh Festival see its web site.) Focusing on Burroughs’ work in My Own Mag distorts a proper view of the chronology. So much for my listing.

RealityStudio provides links to the Maynard & Miles (with my notes) and Sinclair. As this column proves, the order of My Own Mag seems as clear as mud which may be as Nuttall intended, or as Robert Bank suggests the result of a hectic life. To this day, the magazine has an aura about it, and it is a unique experience to flip through its pages. As book object and as content, My Own Mag captures the spirit of its time, yet remains fresh for today, and eerily relevant for the future.

Robert Bank cuts through the bibliographic nightmare quite nicely in his essay on Perfume Jack, a comic strip by Nuttall that runs throughout the 17 issues of My Own Mag. Bank’s accounting of the chronology is the simplest that I have seen, the most logical, and the most in line with the magazine itself. In addition, Bank places the focus back on Nuttall proving that a detail study of Nuttall and his work is not only necessary but also fruitful. I would argue that it is also a really good time and time well spent.

Reports from the Bibliographic Bunker

Jed Birmingham on William S. Burroughs Collecting

The bulk of Maynard & Miles’ bibliographic entry on My Own Mag is reproduced here in the order in which it was printed. (The same copy accompanies the images on the My Own Mag archive page, where it was reordered to match what is presumably the correct publication sequence.) In parentheses are “Bunker Notes” by Jed Birmingham. Drawing on Iain Sinclair’s bibliography and additional research, these notes expand on the information provided by M&M.

My Own Mag #1: No Burroughs appearance. (Bunker Note: Sinclair 1. Copies of this first issue were sent to Ray Gosling, Anselm Hollo, and William Burroughs.)

My Own Mag #2: “From H.B. William Burroughs” (2:3) (C93) January or February 1964. The cover describes it as “An Odour Fill Periodical.” (Bunker Note: Sinclair 2. Acknowledged by Burroughs as his first appearance in inscription at Lyon Sale. Gosling believed this to be the first issue.)

My Own Mag #3: No Burroughs appearance. (Bunker Note: Sinclair 3)

My Own Mag #4: “Warning Warning Warning Warning Warning Warning Warning Warning Warning” (4:4) (C94). Contains a 32 square grid manuscript. The cover describes the issue as “very late edition” and it is burned away in part on the bottom. (Bunker Note: Sinclair 4)

My Own Mag #5: “Afternoon Ticker Tape” (5: 1-2) (C95). The Burrough (p. 1-2) edited by WSB and mimeographed by Nuttall, and it appears as the last two pages of My Own Mag. Run off pages from the My Own Mag insertion were sent by Nuttall to WSB in Tangier who issued them there in Ex 3, Tangier 1964. A folder containing a variety of loose and stapled sections in no fixed order, one of which was The Burrough. Described on the cover as “Cut Up Issue,” most pages have been cut into eight squares which are stapled at edges to backing sheet. (Bunker Note: Sinclair 6)

My Own Mag #6: “Bring Your Problems to Lady Sutton Fix” (6:2,4) (C97); “Over the Last Skyscrapers a Silent Kite” (6:7-9) (C98). The title of the magazine is one page three and shows through a hole burned on first page. (Bunker Note: Sinclair 7. Burroughs cut up comes from an article dated May 1964. I suggested that this could be issue 8. As the date for the Festival and Bank’s essay proves, such a reliance on Burroughs to date the magazines is a mistake.)

My Own Mag #7: “What in Horton Hotel Rue Vernet” (7:9-10) (C99). Described as “Special Festival Issue.” (Bunker Note: Sinclair 8. Burroughs’s cut up includes a dateline from April 1964 prompting me to suggest this issue was Issue 7. As the date for the Festival and Bank’s essay proves, such a reliance on Burroughs to date the magazines is a mistake.)

My Own Mag #8: “The Moving Times” (8:3-4) (C100). Described as “Special Tangiers Edition,” the cover has a full page drawing of William Burroughs wearing a fez. (Bunker Note: Sinclair 5. Bomb Culture and Bank’s reading of Perfume Jack supports this conclusion)

My Own Mag #9 “Extracts from Letter to Homosap” (9:11) (C101); “Personals Special to The Moving Times” (9:12) (C102). Has a special “Fall Out Shelter” cover and a brown-green stain running down the front. A small square has been cut from bottom of front page. “Special Post-Election” issue. (Bunker Note: Sinclair 9)

My Own Mag #10: All British Issue; No Burroughs appearance. (Bunker Note: Sinclair 10)

My Own Mag #11: “Dec. 29: Tuesday Was the Last Day for Singing Years” (11:14) (C105); Letter to Jeff Nuttall (11:12) (C106); Collage (11:13) (C107). In the form of a letter to Nuttall. (Bunker Note: Sinclair 11)

My Own Mag #12: “The Last Words of Dutch Schultz” (12:12-14) (C111); Letter to Sunday Times (12:15-16) (C113). (Bunker Note: Sinclair 12)

My Own Mag #13: “The Dead Star” (13:7-13) (C122). One of 500 numbered copies. (Bunker Note: Sinclair 13)

My Own Mag #14: Burroughs provides quotes to a Carl Weissner piece. (Bunker Note: Sinclair 14)

My Own Mag #15: “Nut Note on the Column Cut up Thing” (15:15) (C137); “WB Talking” (15:15) (C138); “Quantities of the Gas Girls” (15:16) (C139); Untitled (15:19) (C140). (Bunker Note: Sinclair 15)

My Own Mag #16: No Burroughs appearance (Bunker Note: Sinclair 16)

My Own Mag #17: No Burroughs appearance. (Bunker Note: Sinclair 17)

Eric C. Shoaf’s Collector’s Guide is now available in an updated print edition produced by Inkblot Publications.

The William S. Burroughs material listed in the A-items section are primary publications and these are arranged in chronological order based on date of first publication of the title. Later printings are noted only if they vary from the first printings with textual additions or new cover artwork. Info from the Maynard & Miles bibliography [M&M, William S. Burroughs: A Bibliography 1953-73 by Joe Maynard and Barry Miles, (Charlottesville, VA: University Press of Virginia, 1978)] is included for the pre-1974 publications, and items not noted by M&M in their bibliography are so designated here. Pirate editions are also listed, following a trend begun with M&M and the Mayfair Academy Series. Given their nature, there are surely some pirated editions not yet seen or included here. In addition, some Uncorrected Galley Proof and Advanced Reader Copy examples are listed, as these pre-publication copies may include variant text and are of interest to collectors. Only those examined personally by me are included. There are certainly others not included here. The A section includes books and broadside sheets. Materials published after Burroughs’ death in 1997 are included as well. The items here are only primary publications published in the US or UK. Foreign language publications are outside the scope of this work, but may be included in later addendums.

B-Items are arranged chronologically according to publication date. However, in some cases the item as listed may not be the first edition published. For example, a paperback bound in wraps may be listed when, in fact, the first publication of the item was hardbound with dust jacket. In most cases, paperbacks follow hardbounds by 12-18 months. No effort has been made to distinguish original essays from reprinted or excerpted selections, an unfortunate oversight for which there is no specific excuse other than the bibliographer did not have an opportunity before the collection was relocated to an institutional setting. Over half the contributions listed are republished from other sources, but there is a lot of material in the B-items that was not published elsewhere.

C-Items are arranged chronologically by publication date, and again no effort is made to highlight original essays. However, most are original works, or were previously unpublished when they first appeared. And while some were reproduced later in a different collected form, much of this material does not appear elsewhere. As such, it is a valuable resource. There are few mainstream publications here, a large number of “little magazines,” later called “zines” but generally typified by cheap production quality (sometimes photocopied) and questionable content — which makes them a lot of fun.

All the items are verified (seen by the bibliographer) except a very few items so marked, though the same proviso exists for these particular parts of the listing as for others in this bibliography: there are probably items that were missed along the way. Every effort has been made to be thorough, but even Burroughs did not own a copy of every publication that used his contribution. The B and C listings begin with publications from 1974, taking off from the end of the Maynard & Miles bibliography.

This is not a descriptive bibliography in that complete collation and careful description of each item is not included. Such would lengthen this work by hundreds of pages to the detriment of easy readability. Neither is it a critical bibliography, although some background, opinion, conjecture, and information from communication with publishers is included where useful. The bibliographer was fortunate to visit Robert Jackson in Cleveland and view the complete “word horde” in 1999 long before its recent sale to the New York public library. Several items viewed have only been documented in the Descriptive Catalogue of the William Burroughs Archive (Miles & Associates, London: Covent Garden Press, 1973) in less than complete format. Examining these helped inform preparation of this work.

Two other sections are included: a listing of materials not included in the original M&M publication but discovered after it appeared, and a listing of articles and books about Burroughs.

A bibliography is by its very nature incomplete unless the bibliographer has examined each item listed. Over 95% of the items here were examined in hand. A few were not seen but the bibliographer has reliable information that they exist, and there also may be variant editions or printings that were missed. For those items, the bibliographer relies on other experts in the field, and some are regular visitors and contributors to this site such as Jed Birmingham and Michael Stevens who have been gracious in sharing of their own bibliographic sleuthing. As this sort of work is an ongoing process, input from others is appreciated.

• Books and Broadside Prints by William S. Burroughs (A Items)
• William Burroughs Contributes to Books and Anthologies (B Items)
• William Burroughs Contributes to Magazines and Journals (C Items)
• Not in Maynard and Miles (B and C Items Not Listed in Maynard and Miles’ Bibliography)
• Articles and Books about William S. Burroughs
• The Eric Shoaf Collection at the University of Virginia

Jed Birmingham on William S. Burroughs Collecting

With all the discussion concerning bibliographies, I should mention a few other print bibliographies besides Maynard & Miles and Shoaf’s Checklist. In 1975, Michael B. Goodman published William S. Burroughs: An Annotated Bibliography of his Works and Criticism. This guide usually gets lost in the shuffle when discussing Burroughs bibliographies. It is about 100 pages and from what I have heard and read provides information not in Maynard, such as critical information. Copies are available for $20. Goodman has written a couple other books on Burroughs. In 1990, he published William S. Burroughs: A Reference and Research Guide. Like the annotated bibliography, this was issued by Garland. Any information on this book would be appreciated. Copies are available on Amazon for $50-75. Goodman’s Contemporary Literary Censorship: The Case History of Burroughs’ Naked Lunch is an excellent account of the whirlwind surrounding the publication of Naked Lunch. I read a library copy a long time ago and have not held a copy since. They are expensive, $150 on average.

Auction and bookseller catalogs are also valuable sources of bibliographic information on Burroughs and can become collector’s items in their own right. Am Here Books Catalog 5 (1981/1982) is a prime example (around $100). This catalog contains contributions by William Burroughs, Robert Creeley, Tom Clark, Dennis Cooper and others. There are several incredible William Burroughs items for sale at now unbelievable prices, including a manuscript copy (100 pages of holograph manuscript, plus pages of art work and typescript) of The Book of Hours for $7500 (I believe this scrapbook is now in the NYPL), a British Journal of Addiction offprint for $125 (now over $2000), or one of 26 lettered copies of the Descriptive Bibliography of the Burroughs Archive (which just sold to NYPL) with a page of corrected typescript by Burroughs tipped in and signed by Burroughs as well as the 12 page corrected typescript of his “Literary Autobiography” plus 50 holograph corrections to the text by Burroughs and Gysin for $850. The Am Here catalog also comes with a 7″ record of Burroughs reading “The Last Words of Hassan-i-Sabbah.”

Atticus Books Catalog 8 (1981) is another example of legendary booksellers catalog ($50). This catalog contains material not in Maynard as well as the essay “The Future of the Novel,” which I believe he presented at the 1962 International Writers Conference in Edinburgh. The entire catalog features Burroughs items. Fifty copies were signed by Burroughs and now sell for several hundred dollars.

Recent and current auctions catalogs contain a wealth of information. The catalog accompanying the Ginsberg Estate Auction at Sotheby’s (1999), the Nelson Lyon Collection of William Burroughs (1999), or the current Edwin Blair Collection of Beat Literature are all fantastic documents of literary history. The Nelson Lyon and Edwin Blair catalogs can still be viewed at pbagalleries.com. See the auction section of my Burroughs webpage for a more complete description of some of the major auctions in 1999/2000.

Finally, I would also recommend printing out or receiving hard copies of as many booksellers catalogs dealing with Burroughs as interest you. Skyline Books and Beat Books have wonderful electronic and hard copy catalogs. Keep them handy because as you can see they can become valuable not just for information but as collector’s items.

Atticus Books Catalogue

Here is the magazine and periodical section from the Atticus catalog, largely because that is what I collect. Yes, yes, I can fantasize about the prices, about the what ifs and could have beens, but equally important is the depth and breadth of material in the catalog. Sure it is mind-blowing to see the British Journal of Addiction Offprint for $175, but even more amazing is that it is available for sale at all. These are legendary rarities and Atticus had two!! And what a fucking copy for $175; first of all it is signed and then the kicker that truly drops your jaw is the original envelope that confirms the bibliographic detail that only 50 copies were printed. Truly an amazing item at any price. Further are, Gambit, Icarus, Signals, the International Times Word Machine. These are not everyday items by any means.

What is interesting is what is not there. Floating Bear #24 for example, which makes sense. As far back as the 1960s this item was known for being impossible to find. Another no-show is Chicago Review 17-1 from 1964. In over 20 years of collecting I have never seen one, but why? The earlier 1958 Chicago Reviews are readily available. So what gives? I also found it interesting that Dan Lauffer’s Brown Paper was one of the most expensive items in the catalog at $50. This is a nice acknowledgement of not only this publication’s rarity — probably around 100 copies were printed, not the 243 as advertised — but also of the fact that it is one of the coolest and most unusual magazines in which Burroughs ever appeared. Finally it can not be forgotten that, as the piece above on Burroughs bibliographies makes clear, the Atticus catalog is important in its own right and just as cool as Brown Paper or the Offprint for Burroughs bibliophiles.

Download the Contributions to Periodicals by William S. Burroughs section of the Atticus Books Catalogue as a pdf.

Atticus Books Catalogue
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Atticus Books Catalogue
Contributions to Periodicals 1

Atticus Books Catalogue
Contributions to Periodicals 2

Atticus Books Catalogue
Contributions to Periodicals 3

Atticus Books Catalogue
Contributions to Periodicals 4

Atticus Books Catalogue
Contributions to Periodicals 5

Atticus Books Catalogue
Contributions to Periodicals 6

Atticus Books Catalogue
Contributions to Periodicals 7