William Burroughs — Rolling Stone Issue No. 108, May 1972

Original newspaper-format issue of Rolling Stone, Issue No. 108, published May 11, 1972 by Straight Arrow Publishers, San Francisco. Published during the paper's transitional moment between underground press, music journal, and mass-circulation cultural publication.

Approx. 28 × 38 cm folded; 56 × 38 cm opened as a spread. Newsprint. Black-and-white printing with spot colour. Approx. 56 pages.

This issue contains a substantial interview with William S. Burroughs by Robert Palmer, accompanied by portraits and editorial material that place Burroughs within the wider landscape of American counterculture at the beginning of the 1970s. The cover features David Cassidy, photographed by Annie Leibovitz. Elsewhere, celebrity culture, music journalism, narcotics policy, advertising, and subscription infrastructure occupy the same printed surface.

What now appears unusual is not the presence of Burroughs but his placement. The author of Naked Lunch appears within a publication simultaneously addressing teenage pop fandom, record sales, politics, and commerce. The issue records a moment before these categories separated into distinct media worlds.

As an object, the newspaper preserves an earlier condition of Rolling Stone. Before the glossy magazine, before luxury advertising, before the publication became an institution. Folded, handled, read, stored, and retained.

A temporary information support that outlived its intended use.

Condition: Good vintage condition. Creasing, edge wear, small tears, age toning, handling marks, and newsprint discoloration throughout. Evidence of circulation remains visible.

Shipping and handling included in the listed price.