A cult classic, the short novel was legendarily written by a 14-year-old “closet punk” as a school essay, discarded until his mother (allegedly) rescued it from the trash. Rising to glory via doing one’s homework isn’t very punk, some might say, but he was only young. The Punk’s doomed antiheroes, struggle valiantly against the twin evils of Teddy Boys and the Employment Exchange only to end in a pool of blood. Full of sage observations to educate the non-initiate (“Punks like to have odd, and often depressing names, as in their nature.”). One of only 500 copies produced in the first edition, with original safety pin still securely fastened through the cover image of Johnny Rotten’s upper lip. This copy, from the personal library of Heathcote Williams (who also published a book through Polytantric Press in 1977 and likely knew Gideon Sams from that connection), is signed by Sams. Rare thus, the author died young at 26. (#22722)

$1,100