Nitty-Gritty Vol. 1 No. 1 (1975) w/ Bukowski “86’d” Broadside – Mailed to Joanne Kyger

Description

Nitty-Gritty: A Survival Tool Chest – Birth (Vol. 1, No. 1) was published in 1975 by Goldermood Rainbow Press of Pasco, Washington. This large-format magazine measures 8.5″ x 11″ (21.6 x 28 cm) and comes in illustrated wraps. The issue blends poetry, prose, reviews, and illustrations in a charmingly raw, mimeo-inspired layout. Notably, this copy was mailed to Beat poet Joanne Kyger in Bolinas, California, her name and address affixed to the upper left corner—a small but meaningful connection to one of the key figures of the San Francisco Renaissance.

The highlight of the issue is a laid-in Bukowski broadside titled 86’d, a folded tan sheet (undated but 1975) with a drawn portrait of Bukowski slugging from a bottle, alongside a classic poem in his gritty, boozy register. The magazine also includes a full-page review of Poems Written Before Jumping Out of an 8 Story Window, declaring Buk “a storm looking for a place to happen” and praising him as a poet “totally involved in human being.” A scarce and eccentric literary item made all the more desirable by the Buk insert—and by its unique address to a major 20th-century poet.

An uncommon Bukowski appearance paired with the scarce folded broadside—an essential addition for serious collectors of underground poetry and small press ephemera.