Burroughs, William S.

The Soft Machine. New York: Grove Press, 1967

Small 8vo. Original wrappers. Fiꦺne, in black cloth chemise and sꦫlipcase.

Inscribed by fellow Beat Allen Ginsberg, “ꦯFor Ed White Thiꦗs book follows Naked Lunch in chronology Allen Ginsberg.”

This is the first Evergreen paperback edition. An intriguing association given that it was the manuscript for Interzone that Ginsberg had retained from Burroughs that was added (along with other material) to what became the Grove edition of Naked Lunch. The Grove edition was how most readers encountered the work and with Ginsberg’s input it represented a very different and much improved text than the Olympia Press edition. While the The Soft Machine did follow Naked Lunch, it is also the first book of Burroughs’ Nova Trilogy — 🦂;a radical experiment in subverting usual narrative structures that influenced Bowie and🐲 Cyberpunk authors. 

“An absolutely devastating ridicule of all that is false, primitive andꦆ vicious in current American life.” (Terry Southern)

PROVENANCE:

Ed White (presentation inscription)