Collection of writings and photographs by Hart Leroy Bibbs
- SIGNED
- Paris, France , circa 1970–1985
Eight (8) texts in various formats (see individual descriptions below) and 2 black and white photographs housed in pink board folder with red cloth spine, 32 x 24 cm.
A gathering of largely unpublished writings and two photographs by Hart Leroy Bibbs, who was a journalist, photographer, artist, and poet associated with the Black American expat avant-garde in Paris in the mid-to-late 20th century, which also included poet Ted Joans and many touring jazz musicians. The collection is housed in a pink board folder with "Hart Leroy Bibbs" in marker to the front cover, and the inscription "Marc Albert-Levin and his wife Barbara Summers" in ink to inside front cover. Evidently the original owners of the present gathering, Albert-Levin was a French writer and artist and Summers a Black American model and writer, both also part of the jazz counterculture scene in Paris at the time. In a 2022 blog post at Saisons de Culture titled "Anachronique du flâneur N° 29", Albert-Levin discusses his friendship with Bibbs and even his possession of the present materials. Bibbs's writings included here depict bohemianism, the international jazz scene, racism, and violence, constituting a gritty and often-firsthand testimony of the Black expatriate counterculture. Contents of the folder are: [1] Black and white photograph, 14 x 9 cm, of a man with his hand to his face, almost certainly Marc Albert-Levin. Signed "H. L. Bibbs" in marker to verso. Minor creasing, handling marks. [2] Black and white photograph, 13 x 10 cm, of Barbara Summers. Signed "H. L. Bibbs" in marker to verso. Minor creasing, handling marks. [3] Poly Rhythms to Freedom. Second edition, n.d. [1970?], 38 pp. saddle stapled. 20.5 x 15 cm, black toner on white commercial stock. Lacking the printed clear plastic wrapper with illustration by A. James except for a tiny bit of plastic under one staple. Title page with marker inscription: "To Mark. / A 6 year old baby - The birth pangs yet remain— / Hart Leroy Bibbs / Paris 70". Second, revised edition of a book of poems by Bibbs, originally published in New York in 1964. Minor toning, handling marks, very small stain to top page edges. [4] Manifesto Optksorption. 1980, 16 pp. saddle stapled, 27 x 21 cm, offset on glossy commercial stock, with color illustrations throughout. Text in French. According to the colophon, an original US edition was published in 1980 by Wooley the Newt Productions. This French-language edition translated "de l'Américain" by Jeanne Catala. The front cover reproduces the first page of Bibbs's English fair-copy manuscript, which is dated "1977 - Paris" and resembles the other self-published items in the present gathering. The interior is typeset and accompanied by Bibbs's abstract color photography of jazz musicians. One US copy in Worldcat, held at NYPL Schomburg Center; unclear whether it is the US edition or this French edition. Minor shelf wear. [5] "No Jazz in Misr". 1982, 12 sheets, A4 stationery with small "CRR Femme" logo, stapled at top right corner, manuscript black marker with blue ink corrections. 11-page story about jazz in Egypt, with illustrated cover page. Some toning, wear from handling, small stain to cover page near staple. [6] "Free Jazz from Strange Fruit". 1983, 16 pp., side-stapled A4 size sheets, black toner on white commercial stock. Story about sexual violence allegations against saxophonist Arthur Doyle. Minor wear from handling. [7] "Par for the Course". 1984, 9 pp., A4 size sheets stapled at upper right corner, black toner on white commercial stock with black ink corrections. Story about an encounter with jazz pianist Mal Waldron. Minor wear from handling. [8] "La Malade Obscene: He Couldn't Hold It". 1984, 6 pp., A4 stationery with small "CRR Femme" logo, stapled at upper left corner, manuscript black marker. Short story about urination. Minor wear from handling, last page detached from staple. [9] "He couldn't hold it (la maladie obscène)". 2 pp., black toner on A4 size commercial stock, stapled at upper left corner. Computer-typed version of the 1984 story. [10] "The Hanging Box". 1985, 27 pp., loose A4 size sheets, black toner on white commercial stock with ink corrections. A "novel" according to the title page, written "In Hommage for Chester Himes" the Black hardboiled detective novelist whose characters Bibbs reprises. Some toning, wear from handling, a couple short, closed tears to cover page; large stain to first few sheets, not affecting the rest.
A gathering of largely unpublished writings and two photographs by Hart Leroy Bibbs, who was a journalist, photographer, artist, and poet associated with the Black American expat avant-garde in Paris in the mid-to-late 20th century, which also included poet Ted Joans and many touring jazz musicians. The collection is housed in a pink board folder with "Hart Leroy Bibbs" in marker to the front cover, and the inscription "Marc Albert-Levin and his wife Barbara Summers" in ink to inside front cover. Evidently the original owners of the present gathering, Albert-Levin was a French writer and artist and Summers a Black American model and writer, both also part of the jazz counterculture scene in Paris at the time. In a 2022 blog post at Saisons de Culture titled "Anachronique du flâneur N° 29", Albert-Levin discusses his friendship with Bibbs and even his possession of the present materials. Bibbs's writings included here depict bohemianism, the international jazz scene, racism, and violence, constituting a gritty and often-firsthand testimony of the Black expatriate counterculture. Contents of the folder are: [1] Black and white photograph, 14 x 9 cm, of a man with his hand to his face, almost certainly Marc Albert-Levin. Signed "H. L. Bibbs" in marker to verso. Minor creasing, handling marks. [2] Black and white photograph, 13 x 10 cm, of Barbara Summers. Signed "H. L. Bibbs" in marker to verso. Minor creasing, handling marks. [3] Poly Rhythms to Freedom. Second edition, n.d. [1970?], 38 pp. saddle stapled. 20.5 x 15 cm, black toner on white commercial stock. Lacking the printed clear plastic wrapper with illustration by A. James except for a tiny bit of plastic under one staple. Title page with marker inscription: "To Mark. / A 6 year old baby - The birth pangs yet remain— / Hart Leroy Bibbs / Paris 70". Second, revised edition of a book of poems by Bibbs, originally published in New York in 1964. Minor toning, handling marks, very small stain to top page edges. [4] Manifesto Optksorption. 1980, 16 pp. saddle stapled, 27 x 21 cm, offset on glossy commercial stock, with color illustrations throughout. Text in French. According to the colophon, an original US edition was published in 1980 by Wooley the Newt Productions. This French-language edition translated "de l'Américain" by Jeanne Catala. The front cover reproduces the first page of Bibbs's English fair-copy manuscript, which is dated "1977 - Paris" and resembles the other self-published items in the present gathering. The interior is typeset and accompanied by Bibbs's abstract color photography of jazz musicians. One US copy in Worldcat, held at NYPL Schomburg Center; unclear whether it is the US edition or this French edition. Minor shelf wear. [5] "No Jazz in Misr". 1982, 12 sheets, A4 stationery with small "CRR Femme" logo, stapled at top right corner, manuscript black marker with blue ink corrections. 11-page story about jazz in Egypt, with illustrated cover page. Some toning, wear from handling, small stain to cover page near staple. [6] "Free Jazz from Strange Fruit". 1983, 16 pp., side-stapled A4 size sheets, black toner on white commercial stock. Story about sexual violence allegations against saxophonist Arthur Doyle. Minor wear from handling. [7] "Par for the Course". 1984, 9 pp., A4 size sheets stapled at upper right corner, black toner on white commercial stock with black ink corrections. Story about an encounter with jazz pianist Mal Waldron. Minor wear from handling. [8] "La Malade Obscene: He Couldn't Hold It". 1984, 6 pp., A4 stationery with small "CRR Femme" logo, stapled at upper left corner, manuscript black marker. Short story about urination. Minor wear from handling, last page detached from staple. [9] "He couldn't hold it (la maladie obscène)". 2 pp., black toner on A4 size commercial stock, stapled at upper left corner. Computer-typed version of the 1984 story. [10] "The Hanging Box". 1985, 27 pp., loose A4 size sheets, black toner on white commercial stock with ink corrections. A "novel" according to the title page, written "In Hommage for Chester Himes" the Black hardboiled detective novelist whose characters Bibbs reprises. Some toning, wear from handling, a couple short, closed tears to cover page; large stain to first few sheets, not affecting the rest.