Listmania!
DOWN & DIRTY! THE GENIUS OF BUKOWSKI!
Charles Bukowski: Locked in the Arms of a Crazy LifeCharles Bukowski: Locked in the Arms of a Crazy Life by Howard Sounes
Buy used from: £2.99
The best written bio on Bukowski...gives you a balanced view of Buk from his humble beginnings. -- Recommended in the back of a book called The Losers' Club: Complete Restored Edition
Bukowski in Pictures: A Pictorial BiographyBukowski in Pictures: A Pictorial Biography by Howard Sounes
Buy new: £11.69 / Used from: £8.68
Cool images of the man. I picked up a used copy on Amazon. I dig it.
Charles Bukowski - Bukowski At Belle Vue [DVD] [1970]Charles Bukowski - Bukowski At Belle Vue [DVD] [1970]
Buy new: £12.69 / Used from: £7.47
Picture quality sucks...but, hey, it's a rare reading.... Until BORN INTO THIS is released, we have to make due
Reads His PoetryReads His Poetry by Charles Bukowski
Buy new: £15.19 / Used from: £8.95
My favorite of all Bukowki CDs -- and I have them all! (The abridged Run with the Hunted session, only available on cassette, is also great.)
Run with the Hunted: A Charles Bukowski ReaderRun with the Hunted: A Charles Bukowski Reader by Charles Bukowski
Buy used from: £4.45
Decent introduction/sampling of Bukowski's work by publisher John Martin
HostageHostage by Charles Bukowski
Buy used from: £18.63
A blistering Bukowski rages on this one. Good, but he plays a little too much to the audience. He plays into the image.
The Losers ClubThe Losers Club by Richard Perez
Buy new: £6.38 / Used from: £2.17
Bukowski-obsessed poet gets buried in rejection letters in this great, funny little novel that also features the shadowy ghost of Bukowski. Very entertaining book.
The Losers' ClubThe Losers' Club by Richard Perez
Buy used from: £4.35
An earlier, shorter version of the novel (not as good); Bukowski is not in this one. Read the author interview, in which he intelligently defends Bukowski, at: http://ludlowpress.com/richperez
You Get So Alone at Times That It Just Makes SenseYou Get So Alone at Times That It Just Makes Sense by Charles Bukowski
Buy new: £5.95 / Used from: £4.13
This is my favorite of Bukowki's later period work; a great book. Genius title.
Post Office: A NovelPost Office: A Novel by Charles Bukowski
Buy used from: £2.99
His first and tightest novel. Written at the age of 50. Who says old dogs can't learn new tricks? Bukowski was just getting started!
The Last Night of the Earth PoemsThe Last Night of the Earth Poems by Charles Bukowski
Buy new: £6.97 / Used from: £6.79
One of his very last collections (and thickest at 405 pages); it's also one of his best. Contains one of my all time favorite poems: Cut While Shaving
South of No NorthSouth of No North by Charles Bukowski
Buy new: £5.48 / Used from: £3.59
A great early collection from Bukowski, contains such classics as, Confessions of a man insane enough to live with beasts - a prototype for later novels
Burning in Water, Drowning in Flame: Selected Poems 1955-1973Burning in Water, Drowning in Flame: Selected Poems 1955-1973 by Charles Bukowski
Buy new: £6.79 / Used from: £5.10
Selected poems: 1955 - 1973. This is a great collection of Buk's early work.
Ham on RyeHam on Rye by Charles Bukowski
Buy new: £5.40 / Used from: £3.14
Bukowki's third novel is also one of his very best. Clean simple writing. It tells the story of Bukowski's hellish childhood. Nicely done. Smooth writing.
Play the Piano Drunk Like an Percussion Instrument Until the Fingers Begin to Bleed a BitPlay the Piano Drunk Like an Percussion Instrument Until the Fingers Begin to Bleed a Bit by Charles Bukowski
Buy new: £12.99 / Used from: £5.98
This is a great middle period Bukowski book. Many academics call it his finest collection ever (his most mature). Of course it's a matter of taste. But it's a must-have for Bukowski fans.
Notes of a Dirty Old ManNotes of a Dirty Old Man by Charles Bukowski
Buy used from: £3.95
From his underground newspaper column, which made him a cult figure. Published in Germany with a fake Henry Miller blurb as told in the Buk bio Charles Bukowski: Locked in the Arms of a Crazy Life
Love Is a Dog from HellLove Is a Dog from Hell by Charles Bukowski
Buy new: £6.97 / Used from: £5.44
Written at the same time he was also writing the novel, Women, this collection is mostly about relationships and the impossibility of finding happiness.
WomenWomen by Charles Bukowski
Buy used from: £3.50
Hilarious book. People sometimes complain that it's tedious, poorly structured, etc. Well, why not read it in small bites? This is Bukowski at his funniest. I laughed my head off.
Tales of Ordinary MadnessTales of Ordinary Madness by Charles Bukowski
Buy used from: £3.25
An excellent collection of Buk's short stories. Somebody tried making this book into a half-arsed movie, but I won't even mention it.
FactotumFactotum by Charles Bukowski
Buy used from: £3.98
Buk's second novel recalls his life on the road during which he mostly gave up writing, worked crap menial jobs and drank. A novel about work and drifting hopelessly across America.
The Most Beautiful Woman in TownThe Most Beautiful Woman in Town by Charles Bukowski
Buy used from: £5.12
Another solid collection published by City Lights Books in San Francisco
Hot Water MusicHot Water Music by Charles Bukowski
Buy new: £5.99 / Used from: £4.14
One of his very best collections. One of the first Bukowski books I ever bought, which made me want to read more.
War All the TimeWar All the Time by Charles Bukowski
Buy new: £7.37 / Used from: £9.08
I have to mention this terrific collection of poetry from Buk. In the top 5 best poetry collections.
HollywoodHollywood by Charles Bukowski
Buy new: £7.49 / Used from: £3.98
This is Buk's Hollywood experience. A novel about the making of BARFLY, which Bukowski hated. It's an amusing novel. Hollywood film people = imbeciles.
Ask the DustAsk the Dust by John Fante
Buy new: £4.48 / Used from: £1.71
I have to mention John Fante, the only author Bukowski admired till his death. He never spoke badly of him (which for Bukowski is rare). If you read nothing else from Fante, read this.