Mare Booksellers

Ten around the 10th

Sure, it's June, it's almost officially summer, so why are we working?! The only answer we can come up with is that we've grown accustomed to electricity. This month we feature several LGBTQ+ related items, a few ephemeral pieces of African American interest, letters to and from a blossoming hippie in Russia, etc.

These are brand spanking new, so not yet on our website.

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Items subject to prior sale.

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#2 LGBTQ+, Gay Liberation

Pitchford, Kenneth; Knoebel, John et al. Double-F: A Magazine of Effeminism. No. 5, Spring 1976. Templar Press. New York: 1976. Illustrated wraps. 48 pp., including covers. Black and white illustrations throughout. Single issue of this sporadically published journal, with this reprinting earlier articles and manifestos in an effort to help those forming their own groups, or looking for information. This includes “The Flaming Faggots Manifesto,” “We’re Not Gay, We’re Angry,” “Suicide is our Major Cause of Death,” etc. Double-F was a journal associated with the Effeminists, an activist group of gay men who wanted to ally the gay liberation movement with women and feminist movements at the time. Conceding that the gay movement as led by men still had pervasive misogyny within it, and that a patriarchial hierarchy existed in its structured organizations. As such, the Effeminists sought to raise awareness of this and counter sexism within the gay liberation movement. The effeminist movement held an anti-camp and anti-transgender stance, a stance that its leaders concede was wrong, concluding that transgender people have expanded the concept of gender. GOOD+ condition. Minor toning and edgewear. $75.00

#3 LGBTQ+, Feminism

Who Cares About Lesbian/Gay Rights? NOW CARES! Promotional Handbill/flyer. National Organization for Women, Publisher. No place or date, perhaps early 1980s. Single sheet, 8 ½ by 11 inches. Printed on a single side only. A pro LGBTQ+ rights flyer issued by NOW, the National Organization for Women. Contact information present for a woman from Massachusetts, suggesting this was produced there. GOOD condition. Moderate dampstaining along the right edge, with some offsetting and toning to the piece. Some wrinkling and creasing present. $40.00

#4 LGBTQ+, BIPOC, AIDs Awareness

ACT UP People of Color Caucus Celebration! event postcard/handbill. 6 by 4 inches. Printed on both sides. A small piece advertising “A People of Color Celebration!! One night of funky multiculturalism you will never forget!” No date but presumed early 1990s. The event was held Saturday, February 22^nd at 6655 Santa Monica Blvd. ACT UP is an organization that was founded in New York in 1987, with the goal of helping those living with AIDS, through advocacy, medical treatment and research, direct action through protests and events, etc. GOOD condition. Vertical fold crease present. Several phone numbers and a name written on one side. $45.00

#5 Punk History

Suck, Jane; Toothpaste, Lucy; Anger, Alan; Chainsaw, Charlie et al. Davis, Julie (editor). Punk. Millington, Davison Publishing. London: 1977. First edition. Black and white photo illustrated wraps. Unpaginated. Black and white photos throughout. A work documenting the punk scene in the UK, mostly through interviews, along with pieces written by zinesters such as Lucy Toothpaste, Charlie Chainsaw and others. Includes interviews with the Damned, Slits, Ramones, the Clash, Siouxsie and the Banshees, etc. GOOD condition. Minor toning to the covers. Moderate spotting and staining to the rear cover. Minor soiling, creasing and edgewear. Light toning in the interior. $300.00

#6 African American, Fraternal Organizations

Stewart, H.A. Join the Moose! Protect Your Children in Sickness and Distress. Paramount Progressive Order of Moose Promotional Handbill. Paramount Progressive Order of Moose, Publisher. St. Louis, MO: no date, perhaps circa 1922. Single sheet, 6 by 4 inches. Small piece that looks like it was to have been folded into a 4 page booklet, although this is unfolded. A promotional piece issued by the Paramount Progressive Order of Moose, an African American fraternal organization very similar to the Loyal Order of Moose. The Loyal Order of Moose did not allow African Americans into their organization, so this, and other similar organizations, were founded to serve the needs of African Americans. The Paramount Progressive Order of Moose appears to have ceased operations by the early 1930s, perhaps partly due to lawsuits it faced from the Loyal Order of Moose for its use of their imagery. This piece discusses mentions the building of a tabernacle for parentless children, as well as the Moose’s goals of feeding and educating the children. With a list of dues. GOOD condition. Minor fading, staining and creasing. $125.00

#7 African American, Civil Rights

No author given. How Racially Inclusive Are Cleveland Area Churches? Social Welfare Department, Cleveland Church Federation, Publisher. Cleveland, OH: no date, circa 1958. Wraps. 22 pp. A report based on a survey of churches that were part of the Cleveland Church Federation, analyzing the statistics gathered to establish how inclusive Cleveland churches were. While piece concludes that churches were not as segregated as they once were, they still had a long way to go. GOOD condition. Uneven fading and toning to the wrappers, with some soiling and wrinkling. Old price in red crayon on the front cover. $50.00

#8 Radical Left, Bussing, Underground Press

Various authors. Osawatomie. Spring 1975. No. 1. Weather Underground Organization, Publisher. No place: 1975. Side stapled wraps. Red Dragon Print Collective Bug on the lower rear cover, along with that of the Water Buffalo Print Collective and Jackrabbit Women’s Printshop. No price or address on the magazine, perhaps indicating this copy was published underground, and not an early reprint from an aboveground press. 32 pp., including covers. Single issue of this newspaper/journal issued by the radical left wing organization, the Weather Underground. Along with the regular columns outlining their ideology, reviewing books, etc., this issue discusses the turmoil surrounding the bussing of Black children to different schools, describing attacks by the Ku Klux Klan, as well as the attacks by white residents on children, whether hurling bottles or other objects. WIth a map of Boston that shows the location of various high schools. The Weather Underground was a splinter group formed from the SDS, embracing a militant stance in an attempt to overthrow the US government. This included the bombing of various federal buildings. GOOD condition. Minor wrinkling and toning, mostly along the edges. A few small tears and light curling along the edges. $75.00

#9 1960s College Student Life/Russia

Group of Four Letters To and From Columbia and Harvard Student, Charles Isenberg in the mid 1960s. Three letters written on airmail paper, with the fourth letter written by the father of Charles Isenberg. Two letters written by Charles Isenberg document his impressions and experiences while traveling and living in Russia as part of his studies. He ranges from discussing the “closed” society of Russia to barely avoiding the “wine shits” on a train from Helsinki to Moscow. Letters are personal and candid, and he seems to find Russian living distasteful. A letter to him from a friend at Columbia discusses the usual college antics, including joining a rock and roll band. The final letter is from the father of Charles Isenberg. This letter discusses finances and the fact that they do not have the budget for his schooling at Harvard. He suggests getting a job or going to a state school, and that Charles’ appearance (mustache and hair) is holding him back at job interviews. Not indicated in these letters is that Charles Isenberg was at least interested in, if not active in, the “radical” politics affecting US college campuses in the 1960s. From the same collection we have processed a large number of flyers for SDS events, newsletters and underground newspaper from student groups at Columbia and Harvard, etc. Isenberg did eventually earn his doctorate from Harvard and taught at Wesleyan and Reed College. All items are in VERY GOOD condition, with letters in envelopes bearing usual stamping, and some doodling. Letters folded to fit in envelopes. $40.00

#10 Contemporary Art, Little Magazines

Munger, Barbara; Plagens, Peter; Zest, Fyodor et al. Untitled. March-April 1974. Volume 1, Number 1. Straight Turkey, Publisher. Torrance, CA: 1074. Plain glossy white wraps. Oblong format. 48 pp. Black and white photos throughout. Publisher’s letter laid in. A magazine devoted to providing information and communication from the contemporary art world. This issue not only contains interviews, but also features new contemporary artists. GOOD condition. Covers toned, with moderate spotting/small stains. Minor soiling and edgewear. Edges of publisher’s letter rather tattered. Minor creasing. $40.00