Skywriting by Word of Mouth, and Other Writings

New York: Harper & Row, 1986 Illustrated with drawings by Lennon. Afterword by Yoko Ono. Limited first edition. One of 500 specially bound and slipcased numbered copies signed by Ono on the limitation page, this being number 131. With a 7" x 4.5" drawing by Lennon in a brown envelope. Publisher's blue cloth, with facsimile Lennon signature in silver foil to front board, and spine lettered in silver foil; publisher's off-white cloth slipcase, with paper title label illustrated by Lennon pasted to front panel. About fine book, with just a hint of toning to spine; about fine slipcase, with just some light soiling to paper label. In the original plastic (truncated) shrink-wrap, split open at the mouth so the book can be accessed. Overall, a lovely copy of this whimsical volume. Skywriting by Word of Mouth, an experimental wordplay-filled piece divided into 29 parts, was written by Lennon in the five-year period between the birth of his son Sean in 1975 and his death in 1980. The work nearly never saw the light of day, as the manuscript was stolen from Lennon's apartment in 1982. Four years later, it was recovered and published by Yoko Ono. In Ono's afterword, she writes, "John wrote Skywriting at a time when the world was wondering whatever had happened to him. Why wasn't he writing songs anymore? Well, this was what he was busy doing." The book also includes Lennon's autobiographical piece, "The Ballad of John and Yoko," in which he reflects on his relationship with Ono and the breakup of The Beatles, "Two Virgins," a short piece about Lennon and Ono, and an abecedarium titled "An Alphabet." . Signed by Yoko Ono. Limited First Edition. Hard Cover. Near Fine. Illus. by Lennon, John. (Inventory #: JLN002)