Fred Hunter's copy of "Minutes To Go", Two cities Edition, with Correspondence (1960-1963)

Paris, France: Two Cities Editions (book, primary, 1st), 1960.
8.25" x 5.25" x 0.25", 64 pages, softcover.

Minutes To Go by William S. Burroughs, Brion Gysin, Sinclair Beiles, and Gregory Corso, as published by Two Cities Editions (Paris, France) in 1960, with the support of The English Bookshop (Paris, France). Edited by Jean Fanchette. Cover design by Brion Gysin. 1000 copies printed of this first edition.

This copy was formerly owned by collector Fred Hunter, and was acquired directly from the editor of Two Cities Editions, Jean Fanchette in 1963. I received this from BeatBooks (Andrew Sclanders, London).

This copy came with the correspondence between Fred Hunter and Jean Fanchette, shown below:

Typed letter from Jean Fanchette (Paris) to Fred Hunter (London) on April 3, 1963:

Dear Sir,

Yes, there are still eight sets of seven issues of Two Cities still available at 35/- per set. I shall not dispose of them until I hear from you.

We are still printing after an interruption due to the usual financial reasons. N˚ 9 is at the printer's and should come out at the beginning of May.

Thanking you for your interest in our magazine, 

Yours sincerely, 

Jean Fanchette, 

Editor

P.S. Letters reach me more quickly at my personal address 189, rue Ordener, Paris I8e

Typed letter from Jean Fanchette (Paris) to Fred Hunter (London), May 20, 1963:

Dear Mr. Hunter,

Thank you for your letter. I'll try to answer a few of the questions.

Yes, we are sending you another set plus copies of N˚s 3&4. Total for the two sets plus the 2 copies = 2 x 35 + 2 x 5 = 80 shillings. Aren't we smart about bills? You can send the money by international M.O. or cheque on any English bank.

Yes, Burroughs wrote a piece for N˚6 of Two Cities. I also published "Minutes to Go" a roster with Burroughs, Beiles, Brion Gysin & Corso. Want it? I enclose and there's another 7/6 to add to above bill. Sinclair Beiles published a piece against me and against South-Africans in N˚2 of Two Cities. He had some pornography published at Olympia Press... book, very funny, called "The House of Joys" under the name Wu-Wu-Meng! I could get it for you from Olympia Press... But don't send money for that until I know whether it's still in print. I could get you the other titles though: 15 Francs each vol. from 'Olympia.'  

With Brian Higgins I quarrelled when "Instead of A Theorem" was already in prof-shape? Now we have patched it but no... 'theorem'.  He's a very good poet and a haunting character especially after you have invited him for an afternoon, as I did, and he has stayed three weeks.

That's all for the nonce. Hope to hear from you....

Sincerely, Jean Fanchette

And, written along the left edge:

You should get the new set, the 2 copies + "Minutes to Go" within a week. Pay quickly, please. It will help us to get #9 out. It's stuck at the printer who wants MONEY, MONEY, MONEY.

J.F.

Typed letter from Fred Hunter (London) to Jean Fanchette (Paris), June 18, 1963:

Dear M. Fanchette,

Would you object to getting me one more book? This for a friend whose name and address I attach. He wants to get Burroughs' NAKED LUNCH and I've tried other places to get a copy, but without success. It was even on sale in 'Better Books' in Charing Cross Road for two days, without any police raids or anything. I enclose 30/-, hoping this will cover this one. If it's possible to send the others to me, please let me know how much you want.

In one edition of TW [sic] CITIES I saw an advert, for Namba Roy's Black Albino (?) published by New Authors, I think, but I've been unable to find it over here. Do you have it?

In haste, 

Yoyrs [sic] 

Typed letter from Fred Hunter (London) to Jean Fanchette (Paris), June 10, 1963:

Dear M. Fanchette,

I received the TWO CITIES and MINUTES TO GO for which many thanks. I got cheque back from the bank in record time so I know you've got the money for them.

In my first letter, in a rush of wild abandon, I asked if it was possible for me to get Olympia books. You said you might be able to do it.  And now that I've forgotten what I wanted – if there was Miller's SEUX [sic] & PLEXUS please ignore these two as a friend has them, but I think the others were Burroughs, Corso and Donleavy (I gather the Beckett is available over here now as well so please don't trouble over that.) You also mentioned something by Sinclair Beiles that I'd like to get.

I met Burroughs just the night before he left for Paris and had a pleasant hour with him – he's been oddly reviewed by English critics and idolized by the plushy-rich beatnik set circling around the culture trap at the Institute of Contemporary Arts in London. I think he'd found this rather disconcerting – and the literary conventionalities of Little England too much to endure. All in 'The Sleep of Newton' was Blake's phrase and I find it rather apt for Burroughs who goes way-out into legitimate arenas of experience which our literary types despise as the arena of science or space fiction. One reviewer – John Wain in the New Republic – spent all his space in praising Henry Miller and saying LUNCH was 'useful for students of medical textbooks'!

Does Durrell still live in France? A friend of mine thinks he does and is madly striding out for Provence! Durrell's had a tremendous reception among the students all over the place here – only a pity Faber won't publish BLACK BOOK. If Calder can do Miller and Burrough's LUNCH next year you would think they could do it this year.

Yours sincerely,

Fred Hunter