Djuna Books: Catalogue of Books and Records, 1979 [first catalog]

New York: Djuna Books, 1979. Saddle-stapled in self-wraps. 3 ½ x 8 ½ in. [29] pp. Very good; slight oxidation at staples and a few faint bracket annotations. Item #10356

The first, and perhaps only, catalog from the early feminist bookstore, Djuna Books.

Djuna Books, founded in 1977, was one of three feminist bookstores then operating in New York. Located in a storefront directly across the street from legendary gay bar Julius’ (the site of the 1966 Mattachine Society sip-in) at 154 West 10th Street, the store was named for Djuna Barnes, a Greenwich Village resident whose 1936 novel Nightwood was one of the earliest pieces of American literature to frankly represent lesbian sexuality.

Started by Sue Perlgut, a leader of It’s All Right To Be Woman Theatre, and Shirley Walton-Fischler, the space was also a hub of feminist theater during its 5-year operation. Djuna Books closed in 1982 after Perlgut moved to Ithaca.

Categories in the catalog include lesbian/gay, Lost and Found Women, science-fiction, occult, violence against women, children/parenting, sexuality, art, photography, and others. Not located in OCLC as of October 2024.

A remarkable record of feminist bookselling in New York.

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