Jed Birmingham, who writes the Bibliographic Bunker, an extraordinary column about books by William S. Burroughs and related mimeo magazines, calls The Exterminator “one of the forgotten texts of Burroughs’ bibliography.”
Published by The Auerhahn Press in San Francisco, in 1960, the book had a first-edition printing of “roughly 1000 copies,” he writes, and is so little known he guesses that “few of even the most dedicated Burroughs fans have ever read it.” Furthermore, he also feels that “as an object” the book “is one of Burroughs’ most beautiful publications.” And finding one in fine condition, he adds, “is a challenge.”
So you can understand why Jeff Ball is thrilled by his latest acquisition—a copy that is not only signed by both Burroughs and Gysin but has original artwork that Gysin drew and signed on an inside page. “I’m giddy!” says Ball, whose collection of rare first editions by Burroughs and associated writers, includes some of the most hard-to-find materials anywhere. Have a look at what thrills him:
“The Exterminator” was my first purchase of a published work involving William S. Burroughs.
That was around 1962. I was an art-college student at the time.
For reasons I made clear in an interview with Reality Studio, the linguistic side of my interests were deeply satisfied by the text.
Cutting up verbal and non-verbal printed material was the type of cultural war cry that I was able to listen to intently, and learn from deeply.
A collage approach to art-making is what has driven my career as a professional artist. The practice shaped most of my studio experience, and it continues to do so today.