Sparrow magazine 30 and 72: Devoted to Poems by Charles Bukowski

Here are two issues of Sparrow magazine. Both issues are devoted to poems by Charles Bukowski.

Sparrow No. 30 was published in March 1975 and was titled “Africa, Paris, Greece”. This copy is a First Edition.

Sparrow 72 was published in September 1978 and was titles “We'll Take Them”. This copy is a Second Edition.

Both of them are in Very Good condition and are solid reading copies.

John Martin started publishing Sparrow Magazine back in 1973.  It featured softcover issues dedicated to a single poet that Black Sparrow Press had under contract. It doesn’t appear to have had a regular publishing schedule, so I’m not sure what the occasion was for putting out an issue. It wasn’t based on new books being published, at least in Bukowski’s case, because all four Sparrows dedicated to his poems would not be published until 1979’s “Play the Piano Drunk Like a Percussion Instrument Until the Fingers Begin to Bleed a Bit.” That was one year after the last issue Bukowski would appear in.

There were usually first and second printings of Sparrow. The covers of the first printings were printed in red on white, while the second editions were black and white.

Sparrow No. 30, March 1975
“Africa, Paris, Greece”

Sparrow 72, September 1978
“We'll Take Them”