William S. Burroughs

William S. Burroughs was an American writer whose work — from Junky and Naked Lunch through the cut-up trilogy and beyond — occupied a position at the intersection of literature, visual art, and countercultural distribution. His cut-up method, developed with Brion Gysin in Paris in the late 1950s, extended writing into collage, film, and sound, and generated a body of printed matter that circulated through little magazines, independent presses, and artist-run networks on both sides of the Atlantic.

Publications collected here document Burroughs' work and its reception, including little magazines, artist publications, and printed matter through which his writing entered underground and institutional circulation.

  • Original 1973 William S. Burroughs White Subway, Aloes Books, London, first edition. Photo-illustrated softcover showing a collaged black-and-white street photograph: a building facade with a partially visible sign reading 'ATORS' at upper left, a bare winter tree at centre, and a figure walking on the pavement below, with 'WHITE SUBWAY' and 'william burroughs' in white type overlaid on the image. Reverse of 1973 William S. Burroughs White Subway, Aloes Books. Plain unprinted card back cover showing age toning, foxing, and handling marks consistent with a small-press publication of the period.

    William S. Burroughs — White Subway — Aloes Books, London, 1973

    William S. Burroughs — White Subway — Aloes Books, London, 1973

  • Original 1964 Arcade No. 1, William Burroughs Special, Dodo/Arcade, London. Cover showing large bold '5d' numeral in black on cream ground with 'arcade' in script below, a blue starburst label reading 'William Burroughs Special' across the centre, and a red price roundel showing '2/6'. Age toning and light soiling consistent with period. Interior spread from 1964 Arcade No. 1, William Burroughs Special. Page by Jane Beckett showing a grid of twelve black-and-white Victorian-era boxing and wrestling instruction photographs, with a column of technical move names in small type at lower right.

    William S. Burroughs — Arcade No. 1: William Burroughs Special

    William S. Burroughs — Arcade No. 1: William Burroughs Special