This page is for those of us who enjoy the challenge of collecting all of those hard-to-find Jim Carroll items — like first editions, broadsides, translations, out-of-print albums and books, bootlegs, translations, ephemera, and memorabilia . . .
Definitely use this site to learn the identifying details!
I’ve found the best places to find such items are eBay and Bibliofind, which is now part of Amazon.com. I’m here in March 2025 updating links and stuff; I just cleaned up a few duds. I will add, as a non-specific aside, that most of the good stuff I have acquired has been from high-quality dealers in rare books and collectibles, although I have often found stuff on eBay. (Keep in mind that everyone’s collection is unique, so what works for me may not work for you.)
Be aware, when searching various sources for collectibles, that there are several Jim Carrolls. You will find lots of stuff by our Canadian friend Jim Carroll (who is a fan of our Jim Carroll), a novelist named James Carroll, a sports figure named Jim Carroll, a journalist named Jim Carroll, a priest named Jim Carroll, a jazz scholar named Jim Carroll, and a singer named Jimmy Carroll . . . among others. In general, if the item is not listed on this website, it’s probably one of these various other Jim Carrolls. When in doubt, ASK ME! A number of times, people have emailed to ask me about stuff, and I have checked it and discovered an item I didn’t know about. More often, however, I have saved people from buying fake autographs and questionable books and the like. Please, don’t BUY any questionable items until you ask me.
Sometimes people advertise stuff that is not what you hope it is. I’ve run across a lot of fake books, forged materials, fake autographs, etc. Sometimes it’s not easy to recognize these things. This site has a lot of examples of Jim Carroll’s signature (see galleries). You can use these examples to check what you’re thinking about buying, but, well, fakers can also use them to forge autographs. When in doubt, send an image of the item to me and I’ll do my best to advise you.
Here’s a brief overview of collectible items. Follow the links for details.
Collectibles
Books
All Carroll first edition books have collector value.
The rarest (and most valuable) collectible books I am aware of are (in order of most to “least” valuable):
- Organic Trains (Penny Press, 1967)
- 4 Ups and 1 Down (Angel Hair, 1970) — 13 numbered/signed copies with hair (I’m not sure where the others fall)
- The Basketball Diaries (Tombouctou, 1978)
- Living at the Movies (Grossman, 1973) — hardcover
- The Book of Nods (Penguin, 1986) — hardcover, review
copy - The Book of Nods (Penguin, 1986) — hardcover
- Forced Entries (Penguin, 1987) — uncorrected proofs (I have never seen these)
- Living at the Movies (Grossman, 1973) — paperback
- Void of Course (Penguin, 1998) — uncorrected proofs (I have never seen these)
- The Book of Nods (Penguin, 1986) — paperback
- The Basketball Diaries and The Book of Nods (Faber, 1987)
I am not sure where The Petting Zoo falls in this range, but it should be jetting up in value. It was issued in hardcover followed by paperback, and it also has an audiobook version. I have a hardcover copy signed by everyone (except Jim Carroll) who made it possible for The Petting Zoo to be published: Rosemary Carroll, Paul Slovak (editor), Patti Smith (“Note to the Reader”), Lenny Kaye (consult on certain editorial changes), and me.
Books Gaining in Collector Value
- Fear of Dreaming (Penguin, 1993) — first edition (ermagad I just bought uncorrected proofs on eBay I can’t afford!)
- The Basketball Diaries (Bantam, 1981) — first printing
- The Basketball Diaries (Penguin, 1987) — first printing
Collectible Limited Editions & Broadsides
All Jim Carroll limited editions and broadsides have collector value. Click here to view a page
devoted to limited editions & broadsides.
- Organic
Trains (Penny Press, 1967) - 4
Ups and 1 Down (Angel Hair, 1970) — 287 unnumbered
copies - A
Poet Dies (Toothpaste Press, 1980) - From
NYC Variations (West Coast Print Center, 1977) - Poem,
Interview, Photographs (White Fields Press, 1994) - 8
Fragments for Kurt Cobain (White Fields Press, 1994) - “Cheered
and Greeted” and “A Window in Cherry Valley”
(Adventures in Poetry, 1973) - Valentine
(1996) - River
Jordan (2001)
Hard to Find Books
- The
Basketball Diaries (Penguin, 1998) — 5th edition - Forced
Entries (Penguin, 1998) — 2nd edition
Translations
Carroll’s
books have been translated into many languages. Check
out the Translations section of this website for details.
Rare Recordings & Videos
Visit this page to learn about rare recordings and videos.
In addition to the recordings listed are the following rarities:
- Catholic
Boy (1980) — some foreign editions have a lyrics
sheet; also, some copies were pressed on the Rolling Stones
label. - Curtis’s
Charm: Original Motion Picture soundtrack (Rabid
Dog Productions, 1996) - Reading
at Naropa Institute (Naropa Institute Archives Project,
1986) — audiotape - Rimbaud
Lectures at New College (American Poetry Archive,
1978) — 4 audiotapes - Reading
at San Francisco State University (American Poetry
Archive, 1974) — videotape - Plus
a whole world of as-yet-unclassified recordings and videotapes
housed at the Poetry
Project, the Naropa
Institute, the Paul
Blackburn Papers at University of San Diego’s Mandeville
Library, and in the collections of individual fans
like you!
Out of Print Albums
While they don’t yet have much collector value, out-of-print albums
are must-haves in the Jim Carroll fan’s collection. They include:
- Dry
Dreams (1982) - Praying
Mantis (1991) - Pools
of Mercury (1998) - Tuff
Turf film soundtrack (1985) - Various
spoken-word collaborations - Various
musical collaborations and “guest appearances”
Hard-to-Find Films
Go here for an overview of Carroll’s films. Here are the
hard-to-find ones.
- Curtis’s
Charm (John L’Ecuyer, 1995) - Poetry
in Motion II (Ron Mann, 1995) - Listen
to the City (Ron Mann, 1984) - Gang
of Souls (Maria Beatty, nd)
Memorabilia & Ephemera
Collectible memorabilia includes t-shirts, buttons, posters, photographs,
magazines and newspapers containing articles by/about Carroll,
and so on. Ephemera includes stuff like concert/reading
promotional flyers, ticket stubs, etc. For some examples,
see the Artwork, Autographs, &
Artifacts page and the Promos,
Posters, Etc. section.
A good source for memorabilia & ephemera is Wofgang’s Vault