Rare Author’s Copy with Painting -- Poems Written Before Jumping Out of an 8 Story Window (1968)

Published in 1968 by Litmus Press, Poems Written Before Jumping Out of an 8 Story Window is considered Charles Bukowski’s 17^th book.

This is a very rare “Author’s Copy” in which Bukowski has created an abstract painting(s) on the centerfold pages of the book. What is very unusual is that Bukowski did not paint over the original printed drawings that are included in the centerfold section of the chapbook. Rather, these pages were printed with only the poem without the printed drawings. The reasonable conclusion is that Bukowski requested these pages be printed without the drawings so he could add the original paintings himself. That’s only a theory, but Bukowski was known to create his own special edition “Author” copies in several of his early chapbooks.

This copy is in unread Fine condition.

Poems Written Before Jumping Out of an 8 Story Window was printed by Litmus Press in 1968. Litmus was the brainchild of Charlie Potts who had published Bukowski in Litmus magazine. He also was the promoter of the 1974 Underwater Poetry Festival, which Bukowski headlined.

Poems Written Before Jumping Out of an 8 Story Window was limited to 400 copies and contains 18 poems, four of which were never collected in the Black Sparrow books. There is also a very nice centerfold featuring a printed drawing for the poem “Cows in Art Class”.

These poems were written prior to 1965. The book was originally supposed to be published by Blitz/Mad Virgin Press in 1965, but the project stalled until it was finally published by Litmus three years later.

The poems in the chapbook include:

• One Night Stand
• Sleep
• Hangover And Sick Leave
• Kite String
• The Blackbirds Are Rough Today
• Big Bastard With A Sword
• The Millionaire
• 86'D
• Cows In Art Class
• Weary Curls The Worm
• The Beast - pg. 22
• Mercy, Wherever You Are, Come Running In To Grab Me In Your Good Arms
• Poem For The Future
• Thermometer
• Singing Is Fire
• Red Violets Boiling
• Freedom: The Unmolested Eagle Of Myself
• The Hairy Hairy Fist, And Love Will Die

Kite String, Weary Curls The Worm, Poem For The Future, and Red Violets Boiling have yet to be published again.

Case 6.