Cities of the Red Night

William S. Burroughs. Stated first edition, first printing. New York: Holt, Rinehart and Winston, 1981. Both dust jacket and hardcover in Very Good+ condition. Jacket is unclipped with original price on inside flap. No writing or markings in the book, 331 pp. 

The writing of Cities of the Red Night, first installment of this trilogy, coincided with Burrough's move from Manhattan's Bowery to Lawrence, Kansas, in 1981. The trilogy "proposes a revisionary history of the Americas that would avoid the horrors of colonialism, slavery and despotism. The first volume rewrites history to make gay pirates founders of pan-American communes that become havens for nonconformists from all over the world. In the sequels, libertarian gunslingers attempt to prevent the formation of despotic centralised governments.