The Cruelty of Loveless Love (35/35) with Signed “Dear Friends” Manuscript

Published by Kunst Editions in 2001, The Cruelty of Loveless Love is a striking folio consisting of 18 paper folders, each containing a mounted monochrome photograph with a letterpress poem on the facing page.

This copy also comes with a signed manuscript by Charles Bukowski titled, Dear Friends, which is one of the poems included in the portfolio. It was purchased by Pablo Van Dijk, publisher of the portfolio, from Scott Harrison of The Abandoned Planet Bookstore. The manuscript comes with a letter of authenticity that lists Dijk as the purchaser. It’s a very nice tie-in.

Only 35 copies were available for sale, this copy being 35/35. There were also 25 copies marked H. C. and reserved for the Black Sparrow Press and the contributors.

The photographs were taken by Joan Levine Gannij and printed by hand from the original negatives. There is a foreword by Carl Weissner (Bukowski’s long-time agent, friend, and German translator), with an introduction and poem by Gannij.

The portfolio consists of 12 leaves printed on rectos only, and 18 paper folders each containing a mounted monochrome photo with a letterpress poem on the facing page. The poems are by both by Linda Lee and Charles Bukowski.

The poems are handset in 10-point, reproducing Typewriter (Broadface) No 721, resembling as close as possible the typeface of Bukowsky's typewriter when he wrote these poems. The poems had not been previously published before and were provided by John Martin of Black Sparrow Press.

All of the contents are housed in a Burgundy red Thai silk-covered clamshell case measuring approximately 12.25” x 14.75”, with a photographic insert of a monochrome photograph of Bukowski on the cover. The box is housed in an unprinted hard black slipcase that shows some inevitable wear. The outer box was somewhat cheaply made with cardboard and is not part of the design. It was simply included to protect the primary box and its contents and it has certainly accomplished its mission here.

The box and its contents are all in fine condition with the box having a small loose/hanging string on the lower front.

The manuscript was folded once and has some light wrinkles throughout the page. There is also a small brown circular stain on the right that bleeds into the back of the manuscript.

Crate 3 and Case 5