Ben Marks of CollectorsWeekly says,
The first time I met Rick Synchef, I was anxious to see his legendary stash of political ephemera and protest posters from the 1960s, which eventually formed the basis of an article for CollectorsWeekly. Synchef had been collecting political paper and ephemera since he was a student in Madison, Wisconsin, which was a hotbed of political activism in the late '60s. So when I arrived at his home, I was unprepared for the depth and breadth of his other collection of books and periodicals showcasing the work of Beat poets and authors of the 1950s and '60s, from Charles Bukowski to Gary Snyder.
Now more than 200 pieces from Synchef's collection—including a 1958 first-edition paperback of On the Road that's been signed by Neal Cassady and inscribed to Kerouac, as well as a first-edition hardcover of Tom Wolfe's 1968 The Electric Kool-Aid Acid Test that's been signed by the author and 45 other members of the 1960s counterculture—is up for auction at PBA Galleries in San Francisco. Viewing days are October 8-10, with the auction itself on the 10th.
Don't miss the methadone bottle that was prescribed to William Burroughs and is now filled with rocks and dirt from his grave, as well as a .45-caliber shell from his shotgun.
Extraordinary Collection of Counterculture Literature Up for Auction
