Crucifix In A Deathhand -- #4/5 with a Self-Portrait by Charles Bukowski

This is a very special copy of Crucifix in a Deathhand that contains a large pen and ink self-portrait by Charles Bukowski. On the opposite page, LouJon Press publisher Jon Webb inscribed this copy with the following:

 " # four -- of 5 copies containing an original self-portrait -- with white jackets -- Jon Webb."

It is signed and dated 3-15-65 by Charles Bukowski on the proceeding page.

Crucifix In A Deathhand was produced by Jon and Louise Webb, founders of LouJon Press. It was printed on an old sheet-fed press and bound in their tiny apartment in New Orleans in 1965.

This was the second of two Bukowski books they published, the first being It Catches My Heart In Its Hands in 1963.

As with the first book, they went all out, putting all their money and energy into its production. The result is every bit a piece of art as the poetry inside it. It was hand-printed on thick paper stock of various colors, dispersed with tissues and hand-bound. The detail, the printing methods, the craftsmanship, and the pure insanity it took to create the book was as unparalleled then and as it is today.

The etchings in the book were done by Noel Rockmore, a New Orleans artist who was friends with the Webbs. Rockmore was your typical New Orleans character and oddball who spent years capturing the essence of New Orleans in a number of different mediums.

At a reported 3,100 copies, this book had a much larger edition than the first. As a result, you can find copies in good condition on eBay for as low as $300-$350. That’s a great price for this elaborate book when you consider Bukowski signed and dated every copy. A Black Sparrow New Years Greeting, by comparison, will generally go for $225 and up for a small-size book with (usually) a single poem. So if you’re looking for a gift. spend a few bucks more on Crucifix instead.

The copies of Crucifix that I sell all have something special about them, in most cases a full-page drawing. Bukowski spent a week in New Orleans in March 1965 writing last-minute poems for the book and signing and dating the signature pages, which were later inserted into the book. Signing the 3,100 pages was tedious, so once in a while he’d do a drawing to go along with it and perhaps add a quotation, mention New Orleans, or add a time of day to the date – sometimes all three.

In addition to publishing two Bukowski books, Jon and Louise “Gypsy Lou” Webb published four issues of The Outsider magazine, which became the standard for poetry journals at the time. No other publication attracted nearly the talent that appeared in its pages and the production value of the magazine itself was unrivaled. Bukowski appeared in all four issues, with a large collection of poems in Outsider 1 (1961) and as the named “Outside of the Year” in Outsider 3 (1963), featuring Bukowski on the cover and a large center section.

Crucifix Case