CITY OF NIGHT
Grove Press, 1963. First Edition. Hardcover with Dust Jacket. SIGNED and inscribed on the FFEP to his friend and fellow Angeleno, Ralph Sylvester. Ralph and his partner, Stathis Orphanos, comprised the LA fine-press publishers Sylvester and Orphanos. 12mo black cloth, silver gilt spine lettering, Navy topstain. Some very faint offsetting to enpapers beyond the jacket flaps, else FINE, exceedingly clean and sharp with crisp, fresh pages. In First State DJ with Tony Canales author photo, tips a bit rubbed, clean and bright otherwise. A memoiric novel by an uncredentialed outsider, City of Night was a surprise hit, reaching the NYT Bestseller's list and generating fascination and disbelief among the literary establishment. Rechy's account police harrassment and a small uprising at 'Hoopers' has been taken as a source for the Cooper Donuts Riot of 1959, in which Rechy claims he personally involved, escaping arrest from officers fleeing a growing crowd of Gay and Trans rioters. 'What grabbed the attention of the general reading public in 1963 was the story of a gay, male prostitute — obviously modeled on Rechy himself — on a journey of self-discovery and acceptance in a society that was not ready to accept him. City of Night introduced readers to a world inhabited by marginalized characters who are dealing with confusion of identity, sexuality, and gender. Male hustlers, drag queens, and johns, all creating artificial outer personas — carefully polished veneers — to camouflage and protect inner selves that are too vulnerable to expose to a harsh, judgmental world that would inevitably crush them.' - Charles Casillo, LARB. FINE / NEAR FINE. Item #503959
Price: $1,500.00