The Red Notebook

Miller's "Red Notebook" (1958) is an actual facsimilie of one of his journals he'd kept while driving around America for a few years in 1939. These notes eventually became "The Air-Conditioned Nightmare" and "Remember To Remember."

The limited-edition book was published by Jonathan Williams (referred to in my post, Aug. 13), a Princeton drop-out who'd taken bookmaking at the Chicago Institute of Design. He was printing challenging works on a small press called Jargon Books, out of Black Mountain.

Williams became intrigued about Miller in 1945, when Time Magazine tore Henry apart in a review for "Air-Conditioned Nightmare." In 1951, he paid Miller a visit (see link to anecdote on Aug 13 post). A relationship was made. In 1958, "The Red Notebook" was published by Williams as Jargon book #22.

I've never personally seen this book. Antiqbook describes it as a "facsimile reproduction of a notebook Miller filled with musings, observations, poems, drawings, and clippings while on his 'Air-conditioned tour 'across the nation in the forties." I've searched around the net: it certainly seems like a rare find, but seems to go for an average of $75 US.

Of course, you could go all out and cough up $750 for a very special copy: one signed by June Mansfield, from her personal collection (no inscription, just "June E. Miller. Dec. 27, 1964."). Powell's Books also has a copy signed by Miller, going for $206.

Another Miller book, "The Nightmare Notebook" (1975) is apparently another facsimilie of these same notebooks, yet I don't know if it's the exact same one, or selections from various notebooks. This gives me something to explore tomorrow.