Interview with proprietor of Hang Fire Books

The Ditmas Park blog has an interview with William Smith, the owner of Hang Fire Books, which deals in used and rare books of the high weirdness trash culture mutant variety.

Hang Fire Books - what is it?
Hang Fire Books is the name of my used and rare bookstore. I generally have between three and five thousand hand-selected titles for sale. I list my books on Amazon, eBay, ABEbooks, Alibris, and elsewhere. I specialize in vintage paperbacks and lurid pulp fiction from the 1940s-60s but I also have a solid selection of art books, vintage children's books and general stock. Though Hang Fire Books is internet-based, I try to use social media (blogging, Twitter, Facebook, etc) to capture the feel of a quirky corner bookstore. I post about new book acquisitions, scouting adventures, what I'm reading, life in Brooklyn and the like.

Where do you keep your books?
A better question is where DON'T I keep my books. Right now the bathtub and the oven are underutilized.

Any books you've got now that will be particularly hard to part with?
Plenty. I have a signed edition of a Jim Flora children's book (an illustrator best known for his lively Jazz LP covers in the 50s); a first of Charles Willeford's Wild Wives / High Priest of California ; a collection of poetry from "Candy Barr" (America's 1st blue movie star and confidante of Jack Ruby); an 1880s children's book called Johnny Headstrong's Trip to Coney Island ; and on and on. But I try to keep a philosophical attitude towards my books. You can't own anything forever and by placing them in the proper hands, I can keep going out and finding more.

• [Bob]

  One of my long time faves is The Space Child’s Mother Goose.

• [thesubjective]

  Is Miss Cand Barr’s poetry published anywhere? Did you make a copy of it? I’d love to read some of it. Would have loved to heard some of the conversations she was present during.

• [aguane]

  That last question (“Any books you’ve got now that will be particularly hard to part with?”) is exactly why my husband won’t let me open a used bookstore. For some reason he thinks it’s problematic to open a bookstore and not sell any of the books.

• [hangfirebooks]

  Just order a copy of Space Child’s Mother Goose. Looks fascinating and I know just the kid for it.

  and yes Candy Barr’s poetry (written while she was serving time) was released by a vanity press. It was titled “A Gentle Mind Confused”. It may be excerpted in the recent biography but I haven’t seen it yet. I have an 8mm burlesque loop that is labeled “Candy Barr” as well but I’m dubious. Have to do a comparison with published photos and have it transferred.

• [hangfirebooks]

  Whoa! Spelled Tim’s name wrong. Total mindo. It’s “Tim Dedman” and now perhaps I’m the Deadman.

• [yclept]

  Hmmn…I have 3,000 hand selected books in my house. Once I invent that hand scanner in my head, can I haz a bookstore too?

• [Anonymous]

  Who’s the artist that drew the Hang Fire Books banner? That is just amazing work!

• [zuzu]

  How about a first edition Land of Laughs?

• [hangfirebooks]

  Sorry don’t have Land of Laughs at the moment. I had the Ace First paperback but that sold a while back.

  The Hang Fire Banner is by Tim Deadman. We collaborated on 4 issues of the ‘zine Trunk Stories over the last few years (links on the Hang Fire Books Blog) and his zombie art is also used on the Hang Fire bookmark which I include with every order.