Semina 1-9 (all published).

a complete set of Semina, no. 2 inscribed by Berman to Walter & Shirley Hopps

A complete set of Semina, Wallace Berman's seminal assemblage publication comprising poetry, aphorisms, and images, distributed by hand and mail to collaborators, friends, and like-minded acquaintances in editions of 150 to 350 copies.

Semina Two inscribed to Ferus Gallery co-founders Walter and Shirley Hopps:

'Walter + Shirley / make it up for a / visit – / W'.

In 1957, Berman included some of the items from the first issue of Semina in an installation at the Ferus Gallery, which was notoriously raided by the vice squad. Berman was arrested, and the exhibition closed on obscenity charges. Subsequently, Berman retired from exhibiting his work publicly and entered a self-imposed exile. At the end of 1957, he completed a second issue of Semina and relocated to San Francisco, where he focused on his family and friends.

The core of Berman's circle lived in Los Angeles and the San Francisco Bay Area, but it also included avant-garde poets and artists at Black Mountain College and New York poets and filmmakers. In addition to Berman, contributors include Charles Bukowski, William S. Burroughs, Diane DiPrima, Kirby Doyle, Robert Duncan, Cameron, Allen Ginsberg, Dennis Hopper, Walter Hopps, Jess, Bob Kaufman, Michael McClure, Taylor Mead, David Meltzer, Jack Smith, Dean Stockwell, Russ Tamblyn, Alexander Trocchi, and John Wieners.

Burroughs' contribution: [issue 4] 'Excerpt from Pantapon Rose' (Maynard & Miles C11; Goodman & Coley B.46; Schottlaender v.4 C12; Schottlaender v.5 C12).

Semina 1. 10426 Crater Lane, Los Angeles, California, [1955].

First and only edition; colophon, 5 sheets of different printed papers in various sizes, gelatin silver photograph signed by Charles Brittin in blue ink on verso, gelatin silver photograph signed by Walter Hopps in blue ink on verso, gelatin silver photograph mounted on card signed by Cameron in black ink on verso, loose in a brown card wallet (191 x 101 mm, 7½ x 4 in), short splits to folds, with a gelatin silver photograph mounted on upper side, initialled by Berman beneath photograph, near-fine.

Edition of 150, with contributions by Wallace Berman, E. I. Alexander [Robert Alexander], Charles Brittin, Cameron, Jean Cocteau, Marion Grogan, Hermann Hesse, Walter Hopps, and David Meltzer.


Semina 2. Los Angeles [and Jackson Street, San Francisco], [self-published], Dec. 1957.

First and only edition, inscribed by Berman in red ink on upper cover verso, with a note in the same ink on the inside rear cover crediting Charles Brittin for the cover image and a printed label 'handset with miscellaneous available type & papers; 8vo (212 x 139 mm, 8¼ x 5½ in); printed sheets of different sizes on various papers mounted throughout; saddle-stapled in card covers with photographic reproduction mounted on upper side and titled in red, printed sheet to lower, minor wear and toning, near-fine; [28]pp.

Inscribed: 'Walter + Shirley / make it up for a / visit – / W'. Curator and museum director Walter Hopps and his wife Shirley Hopps, an art historian, founded the Ferus Gallery (1957-1966) on La Cienaga Boulevard, initially with Edward Kienholz then Irving Blum.

Contributions by Charles Brittin, Wallace Berman, Herman Hesse, Paul Éluard, Jack Anderson, Mike McClure, Jean Cocteau, Zack Walsh, Eric Cashen, Pantale Xantos [Wallace Berman], Walace Berman, Lynn Trocchi, Idell T. Romero, J. B. May, Charles Baudelaire translated by Hyman Lopez, Charles Bukowski, Peder Carr, Judson Crews, John Reed, Marion Grogan, Paul Valery translated by R. Rand, Walter Hopps, Alexander Trocchi, Lewis Carroll, David Meltzer, John Altoon, Marcia Jacobs [Wallace Berman], Cameron, Rabindranath Tagore, and Wallace Berman. Statement by Berman on lower cover:

During the second week of a scheduled month exhibit of my paintings and sculpture, members of the vice squad entered the Ferus art gallery and confiscated a copy of 'Semina 1' which was exhibited as an important part of a work entitled 'Temple'. Brought before the righteous judge Kenneth Holiday, who, taking the allegorical drawing out of context, declared me guilty of displaying lewd and pornographic matter.

I will continue to print 'Semina' from locations other than this city of degenerate angels.'


Semina 3. Peyote Poem. [Scott Street, San Francisco], [self-published], [1958].

First and only edition; 1 sheet folded three times and tipped in; paper covers (280 x 228 mm, 11 x 9 in) with illustrated sheet mounted on upper, light toning, chipping and wear to edges, limitation label now laid in, very good.

Edition of 200, with contributions by Wallace Berman and Mike McClure.


Semina 4. [Scott Street], San Francisco, [self-published], 1959.

First and only edition; 25 sheets of different printed papers (plus one duplicate) in various sizes, loose in a printed interior pocket with title information; card covers with photographic reproduction mounted on upper side, light wear, near-fine.

Contributions by Wallace Berman, I. E. Alexander [Robert Alexander], Wallace Berman, William Blake, Ray Bremser, William Burroughs, Peder Carr, John Chance, Beverly Collins, Judson Crews, Charles Foster, Allen Ginsberg, Pierre Jean Jouve (translated by Howard Shulman), Robert Kaufman, Philip Lamantia, Ron Lowenisohn, Michael McClure, David Meltzer, Stuart Perkoff (2 copies), John Reed, Charles Stark, Idell T. Romero, Su Shi (translated by Charles Guenther), Jules Supervielle (translated by Charles Guenther), John Wieners, W. B. Yeats, and Pantale Xantos [Wallace Berman].

Burroughs' contribution: 'Excerpt from Pantapon Rose' (Maynard & Miles C11), an excerpt from Naked Lunch.


Semina 5 [Mexico isssue]. [Scott Street, San Francisco], [Self-published], [Winter 1959].

First edition; 18 sheets of different printed papers (two folding) in various sizes, loose in an interior pocket stamped in red; black-and-white photo-illustrated card folder (189 x 123 mm, 7½ x 4¾ in), light marking and wear, tear at fold, very good.

Edition of 350, with contributions by Charles Brittin, Miguel Cabrera, Antonin Artaud, John Chance, Kirby Doyle, Lawrence Jordan, John Hoffman, Sor Juana Ines de la Cruz (translated by Philip Lamantia), Robert Kaufman, Philip Lamantia, Christopher MacLaine, William Margolis, Michael McClure, Anne McKeever, David Meltzer, John Reed, Keith Sanzenbach, Ruth Weiss, John Wieners, Pantale Xantos [Wallace Berman].


Semina 6 (The Clown). Larkspur, California, [self-published], 1960.

First edition; 14 hand-printed sheets, loose in an interior pocket stamped in red; black-and-white photo-illustrated card covers (216 x 154 mm, 8½ x 6 in), 'Art is Love is God' stamped in red on lower, light wear and foxing, very good.

Edition of 335, with contributions by Wallace Berman and David Meltzer.


Semina 7. ALEPH / a gesture involving photographs drawings & text by Wallace Berman. Larkspur, California, [self-published], 1961.

First edition; 18 sheets of different printed and papers in various sizes, loose in an interior pocket stamped in black; cardboard covers with a black-and-white photographic reproduction mounted on upper side and titled in red, fine.

Edition of 200 copies, all contributions by Wallace Berman.


Semina 8. Los Angeles, [self-published], 1963.

First edition; 3 gelatin silver photographs, 13 sheets of different printed papers in various sizes (one folding, 10 with mounted gelatin silver photographs), loose in an interior pocket stamped in green; thick board covers, black tape spine, photographic reproduction mounted on upper side, Aleph stamped in black on lower, hole punched at fore-edge with remnant of twine ties, very good.

Edition of [149] copies, with contributions, many of which are initialled in black ink, by Dean Stockwell, Antonin Artaud, Cameron, Robert Duncan, Wallace Berman, Kirby Doyle, John Reed, William House, Jess, Jerry Katz, Michael McClure, Aya Tarlow, Patricia Jordan, Elias Romero, Lyn Foulkes, John Wieners, and Zack Walsh.


Semina 9. [Crater Lane, Los Angeles], [self-published], [Summer] 1964.

First edition; 1 printed sheet in a manila envelope with a gelatin silver photograph mounted on upper side, addressed in black pen to 'Don – / 1176 San Ysidro / Beverly Hills' with postage stamp and post office cancel, ink doodles on lower, a very good copy.

With contributions by Wallace Berman and Michael McClure.

Clay & Phillips pp78-79; In Numbers: Serial Publications by Artists Since 1955 pp339-344.