This post is long overdue. I first mentioned my copy of Herzog way back on June 7th, 2007, in this blog’s second week of existence. Less than two years but feels like an eternity. I’m still buying cheap books from Out of the Closet at Hollywood & Western, but these days the deals come in editions of Recent Works. The other week I scored a proof of The Fortress of Solitude and a $0.25 copy of Jesus’ Son; ain’t read either of them yet, as Dorian Gray’s uncle might say, but soon enough they’ll pass before my weary eyes.

But yes, one of the very, very first books I ever bought was a Book Club edition of Saul Bellow’s Herzog. It took me a few months, but once I opened it, I discovered an authentic artifact of old Los Angeles history– for beneath the dustjacket, there was an underjacket identifying the book as property of the Larchmont Bookshop, a long gone establishment that both sold and rented books.

According to the title page, Herzog went for $0.10 a day! The underjacket carries ads for other businesses, presenting a wonderful snapshot of Larchmont Village circa 1965. I’m particular fond of the slogan employed by Bond Cleaners– “Our Work is Our Bond” –and of the ad for Dr. Harry Locks, Chiropractor. Nice to see the phone numbers using the HO exchange.