An Inventory of Its Records in the Harry Ransom Center
Creator
Alicat Book Shop
Press
Title
Alicat Book Shop Press
Records
Dates:
1945-1966
Extent
.5 box
Abstract
The Alicat Book Shop
Press was created and run by Oscar Baradinsky, later known as Oscar Baron. The
records consist primarily of correspondence with authors seeking publication by
Alicat. Correspondents include Maya Deren, Wallace Fowlie, Anaïs Nin, Kenneth
Patchen, Louis Zukofsky, and others.
From 1945 to 1950, Oscar Baron, then still known by the family name of
Baradinsky, published over twenty titles from his Alicat Book Shop Press in
Yonkers, New York. Eighteen of these comprise the
"Outcast" Series of chapbooks, a venture in
avant-garde, limited edition publishing that reflected Baradinsky's liberal
inclinations and his true love of contemporary letters. Each of the chapbooks,
which were printed in runs of between 500 and 1000 copies, sold for a dollar.
Baron's list included poetry, short fiction, and critical forays into painting,
film-making, music, literature, and philosophy. A champion of free expression
and innovation, Oscar found himself constantly attempting to make the
all-important marriage between artists and the public in his dual role of
bookseller and publisher. Outside the series, Alicat Book Shop Press published
three titles: Philip Curcuruto's
The A-B-C of Chiropractic (1946),
Of, By, and About Henry Miller (Miller,
1947), and Arthur Liebers'
Police Manual (nd).
Scope and Contents
The Alicat Book Shop Press records, 1945-1966, consist mainly of the
correspondence Baradinsky maintained with the authors of his chapbook series
throughout the publication process, along with permissions letters from their
various publishers, and some general materials relating to the chapbooks.
The archive is arranged into two series: I. Author Correspondence,
1946-1966 and II. General, 1945-1966. Notable correspondents in Series I.
include Djuna Barnes, Maya Deren, Wallace Fowlie, Anaïs Nin, Kenneth Patchen,
D. S. Savage, and Louis Zukofsky, among others. The correspondence reveals the
close relationships within the avant garde community, as well as the nature of
the publishing venture promulgated by Baradinsky. Correspondence to Baradinsky
from Henry Miller and William Carlos Williams has been cataloged into those
authors' collections and may be accessed through the card catalog. General
materials in Series II. include canceled authors' checks, a typed list of the
chapbooks and an Alicat catalog, and Baradinsky's postcards to the Gotham Book
Mart regarding the sale of the Book Shop Press records.
Separated Material
The following chapbooks have been separated to the HRHRC Library and
can be found in the title and press indices to the Book Card Catalog:
The Book of Repulsive Women (Barnes,
1948),
Land of the Quetzal: Excerpts from the
Journal (Fraenkel, 1946),
About Carl Ruggles (Harrison, 1946),
New Eyes on the Art of Engraving (Hugo,
1949),
Gossamer (Miller, 1950),
The Amazing and Invariable Beauford
Delaney(Miller, 1945),
Obscenity and the Law of Reflection
(Miller, 1945),
The Outcast Poets (1947),
Proletarian Laughter (Willeford, 1948),
and
A Beginning on the Short Story (Williams,
1950).
