Rare Book Monthly
Book Catalogue Reviews - March - 2005 Issue
Periodicals from 1890-2000 from William Reese
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Item 229 is the one and only issue of Fruit Cup, a 1969 publication which included a safe conduct pass to "Hippie-land." Can you guess where this was published? Of course you can. San Francisco. $25.
Item 187 is Entrails The Magazine of Happy Obscenity, two issues from 1966. San Franciscans are innocent of this one. It was published in New York by the "Whispershit Press." $85.
The Examiner was published in Rye, New York, from 1938-1939 when it came to its well-deserved demise. This journal promoted American fascism. One suspects its contributors did not mention their involvement with this publication in their resumes. The pre-war Depression era saw strong movements of both extreme left and right in America, but both would be consumed by the coming war. Item 194 $75.
Moving from the right to the left, there is the Soviet Literature Monthly. Item 695 consists of 12 issues from 1955-1956 of this journal, which was published until 1992, when it, like the Soviet Union, collapsed. It was published in Moscow by the "Soviet Writer Publishing House." This publication appeared in many languages, these editions being in English. It includes many works of fiction, but then again, everything coming out of the Soviet Union in those days was filled with fiction, including and especially those reports which purported to be true. $85.
Item 62 is the July 1956 issue of Bizarre, published in Paris. It is described as "a playful meeting place for latter generation surrealists, pataphysicians, and assorted zippity-dodaists of all flavors...." Does anyone know what a "zippity-dodaist" is? Are they dangerous? My guess is they are probably just....bizarre. $15.
Zyzzva The Last Word certainly would look like the last word in periodicals, alphabetically anyway. This San Francisco publication was released from 1985-1993, and item 865 consists of 11 issues. $7 each. However, it turns out not to have been the last word in this catalogue. That honor goes to a 1951 publication from Helena, Montana. Its name is Zzzzz Zzyzz Zzyzzle. Perhaps the name was meant to imply that the articles would put you to sleep. Whatever the explanation, it does not appear that this periodical survived for very long. Item 866. $25.
The William Reese Company website is www.reeseco.com and their phone number is 203-789-8081. To see our earlier review of Periodicals Part I, go to http://www.americanaexchange.com/NewAE/aemonthly/review_1.asp?id=67&q=periodicals&page=1.
