The first edition of Fire Station was limited to 100 hardcover copies and 1,000 soft covers.
This copy is one of the 100 hardcover first editions. Also included is the incredibly rare and fragile tissue paper book jacket, as well as an unfolded copy of the uncommon prospectus.
Fire Station was published by Capra Press 1970. It would be the last time a Bukowski book was published by someone besides Black Sparrow Press for many years. And it would also be the last Hardcover book published by anyone else but Black Sparrow Press (minus later BSP reprints by Harper Collins.)
Fire Station was actually made up of “leftover” poems that didn’t make the cut for The Days Run Away Like Wild Horses Over The Hills.
Black Sparrow Press publisher John Martin hired Sanford Dorbin to select the poems that appeared in The Days Run Away Like Wild Horses Over The Hills. The two disagreed vehemently on some of the poems that should appear in the book. As a result, Dorbin took the poems Martin rejected for the book and approached CAPRA Press, who used them in Fire Station.
Fire Station was published by Capra Press 1970. It would be the last time a Bukowski book was published by anyone else besides Black Sparrow Press for many years. And it would be the last Hardcover book published by anyone else but Black Sparrow Press (minus later BSP reprints by Harper Collins.)
While the soft cover version is a beautiful publication, the hardcover copy feels like a true book as opposed to a chapbook.
Books with black covers typically have obvious flaws with the white paper underneath revealing nicks. But this copy has no visible nicks. There is a slight bit of wear to the covers, but hardly noticeable. The book’s one flaw is a small one-inch tear on the front cover spine, but it’s also not very noticeable.
While present, the red tissue book jacket has seen better days. There is a large tear to the front of the book jacket and small creases and tears along the edges. I know of only one dealer who has another copy with the jacket currently for sale.
The prospectus has one very tiny bump on the bottom right, but is otherwise Fine.
Fire Station includes the following poems:
The Paper On The Floor - pg. 9 - circa 1959
2 Flies - pg. 12 - circa 1963
Through The Streets Of Anywhere - pg. 15 - circa 1964
Fire Station (For Jane, With Love) - pg. 17 - circa 1967
An Argument Over Marshall Foch - pg. 23 - circa 1961
40 Cigarettes - pg. 25 - circa 1965
A Killer Gets Ready - pg. 27 - circa 1966
I Love You - pg. 29 - circa 1966
A Little Atomic Bomb - pg. 30 - circa 1966
File Box 2
