Hanuman Books (1986–1993)
#1, A Superficial Estimation by John Wieners (1987)
Hanuman Books is a series of books published by Raymond Foye and Francesco Clemente between 1986 and 1993. From the University of Michigan Library (Special Collections Research Center):
The press published small handmade books [3″×4″], primarily of works by contemporary avant-garde writers and rare translations. The administrative and editorial functions were housed in New York’s Chelsea Hotel, while printing and binding were done in Madras, India [today Chennai].
Clemente, in addition to suggesting books, painted the Hanuman Books logo, contributed money to pay for printing in India, and envisioned the design of the books. Clemente, for example, suggested sending black and white author photographs to be hand tinted, so Indian printers would influence the books.
Hanuman books were printed at C.T. Nachiappan’s Kalakshetra Press in Madras, India. Books were hand-set in Monotype Times Roman on a letter press, and the acid-free pages were sewn together by local fishermen and others. Handmade Indian paper and vegetable dyes enabled colorful covers. Titles stamped in gold and tinted author photographs appear on the dust jackets.
The typefaces used for the metallic foil stamping are Hermann Zapf’s Kompakt (Stempel, 1954), in all caps, paired with Jerry Mullen’s Repro Script (ATF, 1953). In 1988, the script used for the authors’ names was changed to Brush Script by Robert E. Smith (ATF, 1942).
Read more about the history of the book series at the University of Michigan Library (Special Collections Research Center). See the MACBA website and Goodreads for more images.
#3, Bread and Water by Eileen Myles
#4, Son of Andy Warhol by Taylor Mead
#9, Guilty of Everything by Herbert Huncke (1987)
#10, Satie, Ravel, Poulenc by Manuel Rosenthal (1987)
#13, Fuck Journal by Bob Flanagan (1987)
#14B (unnumbered), Manhattan Sketches by Jack Kerouac (1988)
#14, Collected Writings by Willem de Kooning (1988)
#17, Cabal Of Zealots by Vincent Katz (1988)
#36, Saved! the Gospel Speeches by Bob Dylan (1990)
#34, Garden of Ashes by Cookie Mueller (1990)
God With Revolver by René Ricard (1990). “A larger format was necessary for Ricard’s unnumbered edition because the smaller bindings cannot hold more than twelve thousand words.” — University of Michigan Library (Special Collections Research Center) This volume is also exceptional in terms of the type. It’s Univers Condensed, in silver.
The interior pages are crudely printed in Times New Roman.
#42, Safe in Heaven Dead by Jack Kerouac (1990)
#44, Bleed Part One by Nick Zedd (1992)
#45, Woolgathering by Patti Smith (1992)
#46, Painting & Guns by William S. Burroughs (1992)
#48, One Hour by Robert Frank (1992)
The Hanuman Books logo was drawn by Francesco Clemente. The monkey-like deity appears on the back of each volume.
