1960's Icon LENNY BRUCE: "STAMP HELP OUT!" 1962, First Edition

1960's Icon LENNY BRUCE: "STAMP HELP OUT!" 1962, First Edition.

The boilerplate description:
"Scarce, First Edition of, Stamp Help Out! And Other Short Stories The Pot Smokers by Lenny Bruce. (Privately Published), 56 pages. c.1962. Illustrated. Bruce’s first book, which he self-published to sell at his concerts and performances, this is a collection of humorous and irreverent stories, skits and photographs including a long self-parodying satire, “The Pot Smokers” in which he combines photos (many of himself) with wild captions that play off the ignorance and fear surrounding the smoking of pots of the era. In addition to selling the books at concerts, Bruce gave a number of copies to poet and owner of City Lights Bookstore, Lawrence Ferlinghetti to sell at his store.

By 1963, Bruce was already embroiled in drug busts and obscenity trails and responded to this by crossing out some of the profanity in copies of Stamp Help Out!; however, fearing that the book could be used against him at trail, Bruce sent a telegram to Ferlinghetti asking him to destroy the remaining copies for sale.

Bound in stiff pictorial wrappers. Very good plus condition with a stain to the back lower wrapper; crease to the lower corner of spine; fold lower corner. A scarce Bruce book and a landmark of stoned humor and free speech. Measures h-11 x w-8 ½ inches. "