THE TICKET THAT EXPLODED by William S. Burroughs [1985]

John Calder, London, 1985 | Softcover, 217pp | 13 x 20 cm | Second Edition

Unread copy of Burroughs’ surreal, experimental novel - the final part of his Nova Trilogy (The Soft Machine, The Nova Express, The Ticket That Exploded). Written using the “fold-in” technique developed with Brion Gysin, the book fuses science fiction, political satire and linguistic disintegration into a vision of modern control systems and psychic resistance.

First published in 1962, The Ticket That Exploded is Burroughs at his most radical and prophetic. It’s a dystopian anti-novel about how language, sex and media enslave us - and how to blow the system apart from inside. The book imagines a world controlled by alien forces known as the Nova Mob, who manipulate humanity through words, images and technology. Burroughs saw language itself as a virus - a form of mind control embedded in everyday communication.

The “ticket” represents those systems of control - political, sexual, psychological - that “explode” when awareness breaks through manipulation. Using his cut-up and fold-in techniques, Burroughs literally dismembers language, creating a disorienting, hypnotic collage of fragmented narratives, science fiction imagery and biting satire.

Visionary and deeply strange, it’s a fever dream about freedom, technology and the human body, eerily predictive of today’s digital surveillance culture.

Distinctive 1980s John Calder edition with cover design by Thomi Wroblewski.

Excellent - near fine - condition: Unread copy, clean and tightly bound internally. Some age-tanning to pages. Light edgewear to covers.