In an unusual departure from its program of exhibiting outsider art, the Good Luck Gallery will be reinventing itself as a bookstore and focusing on the collector as artist throughout the month of September, when personally selected works from the extensive trove of renowned book dealer William Dailey will be on display. An opening reception will be held Saturday, September 6th from 7-10 PM. The show will run through October 11, 2014.
Throughout a lifetime spent in the service of literature, William has amassed major collections on alchemy, erotica, drugs and the occult. In 1973 he co-founded what at the time was the world’s largest collection of literature on the subject of psychoactive drugs – known as the LSD Library, it has subsequently been expanded upon and now resides at Harvard University. During the ‘70s and ‘80s, William published a series of exquisitely designed, limited edition hand-set books on his Press of the Pegacycle Lady imprint – with its charming epigraph, ‘Under the imprint of the knowing smile’ – which featured works by a wildly diverse group of authors that included Stephane Mallarme, Barry Humphries and Dory Previn, and featured collaborations with such artists as Wallace Berman and Don Bachardy.
After 30 years, William closed the doors of his highly regarded bookstore on Melrose in 2007, having published 70 catalogues of rare books and fine prints. He now operates as a private dealer and spends most of his time at a Spa in Desert Hot Springs that he won in a poker game. A passion for this new locale has inspired the accumulation of a collection of rare books and ephemera on the Southern California desert, and some of these will also be on display.
An environment conducive to the contemplation of fine literature will be created within the gallery, with books stacked, shelved and displayed under vitrines. Extended browsing is encouraged and white gloves will not be required. Books will be for sale with prices ranging from $15 to $1500. This is a rare opportunity for bibliophiles to peruse books from a celebrated and one-of-a-kind collection in a unique setting.
945 Chung King Road
Chinatown, Los Angeles CA 90012
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