Cloudy sky (Was 1st edition GR)

[j minnich]

Per Henry M:
>I don't know the word for the history of the printings of a 
>particular book, but is such a history of GR, The Book, chronicled
>anywhere. I am surprised, for instance, that the first edition of GR
>ran through the printing of Vineland. Just checked my 1st. ed, 4th
>printing, April '73. Anyone ever notice faint horizontal lines in the
>photograph of the cloudy sky before the dedication, the second title
>page with the outline type. While I'm at it, can anyone recommend a
>book on books that would tell me the names of these things, amongst
>other info?
>

I was just doing my taxes but got sidetracked here somehow...
So I just compared the cloudy sky pages of my two hardcover GRs.  One is
"6th printing, July, 1973."  Some faint horizontal lines are visible, but I
think it's just a printing effect rather'n anything intentional.  The other
has no entry on the title page saying which printing it was, and also no
price marked on the dust jacket.  This latter copy was sold to me as a
"bookclub edition."  Otherwise it's pretty much identical to my 6th printing
copy.  The cloudy sky page is darker overall in the "bookclub edition," and
no horizontal lines are visible.  I think these differences were just random
printing variations, like maybe there were differing amounts of ink in the
machine or some setting was different.  Maybe we're not talking about the
same lines, hmmm?  I'd never really looked closely at those clouds before,
however, for what might be revealed there.  Those muted posthorns are kinda
weird, don't you think? (Somehow, I'd like to find some pattern, something
other than just vapor and light.)
-j minnich
---------------------------------------------------------------
...The poet is dead.
Nor will ever again hear the sea lions 
Grunt in the kelp at Point Lobos.
Nor look to the south when the grunion 
Run the Pacific, and the plunging
Shearwaters, insatiable, 
Stun themselves in the sea.  
   -Wm. Everson