Limited Edition (1/200): Jon, Lou, Bukowski and Me

This book was written by Jon Webb’s son, Jon Edgar Webb Jr.

Jon Edgar Webb Sr. and his wife Louise Webb (otherwise known affectionately in the French Quarter as “Gypsy Lou”) were the founders of the famous LouJon Press.

Jon Edgar Webb Jr.’s writing is somewhat amateur, but it’s definitely worth reading for Bukowski and LouJon fans alike.

The best thing in the book is a lengthy transcript Charles Bukowski made of himself when the author left his tape recorder with Bukowski overnight. Bukowski is alone, drunk, breaking things, and attempting to read his poetry.

There are also some transcripts of the author interviewing Bukowski, which are pretty damn funny. He’s very insulting.

There were 200 of this chapbook published. You would never know 200 were printed because it’s a fairly scarce chapbook to find.

This copy is in Mint condition.

As it directly relates to Bukowski, Loujon Press was responsible for transforming Bukowski into an established writer, even if fame wouldn’t occur until years later. They published Bukowski’s first true books, “It Catches My Heart In Its Hands” (1963) and “Crucifix in a Deathhand” (1965). These books are true works of art in and of themselves. The detail, the printing methods, the craftsmanship, and the pure insanity it took to undertake these endeavors was as unparalleled then and as it is today.

They also published 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.

Box 24