The Digit Books Edition of "Junkie" (1957)
London, England: Digit Books (book, primary), 1957. 7.125" x 4.5" x 0.375", 158 pages, softcover. Junkie by William S. Burroughs, under the name William Lee, as published as a paperback by Digit Books (London, England) in 1957. This follows the original Ace Books edition of 1953, which was published tête-a-tête with Maurice Helbrant's Narcotic Agent . This is the first edition in which Junkie was published by itself. The back cover of this book caused a scandal with British censors, who saw this as a corrupting influence, and ordered that all copies be recalled and pulped. The recall was aggressive and swift, and most copies were destroyed. It has been estimated that between 50 and 120 copies of this book reached the public, making it one of the rarest Beat books. Most of the surviving copies are believed to have been shipped from the UK before the ban, and a few have surfaced in New Zealand in recent years. Nevertheless, it remains one of the most difficul...
