Why I Want to Fuck Ronald Reagan.

Brighton, Unicorn Bookshop, 1968. . First edition, first printing, number 11 of 50 copies signed by the author, from a total edition of 250; 4to; title page printed in blue, unmarked internally; original wrappers printed in blue and red, stapled as issued, minor soiling and creasing to edges, else very good. One of 50 signed copies of Ballard's psycho-sexual political satire. Ballard's prescient short story, written in the guise of a scientific report to satirise the rise of celebrity politicians, was written at a time when Reagan was two years into his first term as Governor of California. Its publication led to an obscenity trial in 1968, but ended up being withdrawn from the trial as the only 3 copies in the shop were in fact sealed in an envelope for sending to a literary agent and not for sale; the rest of the stock was in London at the time. Bill Butler eventually closed the Unicorn Bookshop in 1973 when he moved to Wales, but Unicorn continued publishing there until 1977, the year he died. The limitation states that 50 copies of the edition were signed and numbered by Ballard, but he is known to have signed and randomly numbered copies outside of the limitation. The present copy, being number 11, is within the original signed limitation of 50 copies. Rare thus.