Black Sparrow Books

Black Sparrow Books, formerly known as Black Sparrow Press, is a boutique book publisher founded in 1966 by John Martin of Santa Rosa, California. He founded this company in order to publish the works of avant-garde authors. He initially financed this company by selling his large collection of rare first editions. Typography and printing were the work of Graham Mackintosh of San Francisco, Noel Young and Edwards Brothers, Inc. Barbara Martin oversaw all of the designs which are still unique today.

Black Sparrow Press most prominently published the work of authors Charles Bukowski, John Fante and Paul Bowles, as well as Joyce Carol Oates, D.H. Lawrence, George & Mary Oppen, Robert Creeley, Charles Olson, Robert Kelly, Larry Eigner, Michael Palmer, Clayton Eshleman, Charles Reznikoff, Rochelle Owens, Edward Dorn, Jack Spicer, Cid Corman, William Everson and Diane Wakoski. These are just a few of the artists now today considered part of a ground-breaking 'alternative tradition' first established and nurtured under the auspices of Black Sparrow Press.

The Black Sparrow Press was sold in 2002 to David R. Godine, Publisher. At this point, John Martin retired. David R. Godine is the exclusive licensed distributor of Black Sparrow Books. Many of the top-selling authors' (Bukowski, Fante, Bowles, etc.) titles were re-printed with the Ecco insignia, replicating the original designs.

External links

* [http://www.blacksparrowbooks.com/ Official website]
* [http://www.pw.org/mag/0209/newsjacobson0902.htm New Copyright Owners]
* Modern American Poetry Collection - Ball State University Archives and Special Collections Research Center - [http://www.bsu.edu/library/article/0,,28962--,00.html External link]