Christiane F. Autobiography of a Child Prostitute and Heroin Addict
Memoir Cultural History Biography True Crime Urban Studies Addiction Literature Social Studies
First-edition hardcover of the 1980 cult classic “Christiane F. – Autobiography of a Child Prostitute and Heroin Addict,” the raw Berlin memoir that shocked the world and became mandatory reading in sociology, addiction-studies and cultural-history courses. 282 unclipped pages, printed in English from the original German, capture every brutal detail of the 1970s Bahnhof Zoo drug scene that mainstream media refused to show. Vintage collectors prize this 44-year-old textbook because later reprints were heavily edited; here you get the uncensored text, complete with the original dust-jacket artwork that graffiti artists and punk lyricists still reference today.
What makes this copy a smart buy is the balance between readability and authenticity: the binding is tight, every page turns cleanly, and there are no pen marks, underlines, or dog-ears to distract from the narrative. The dust jacket carries the expected edge chips and sun-faded spine that signal a book that lived through the era it describes, while the interior paper remains bright and supple. For students, researchers, or true-crime readers who need a classroom-grade reference that can stand repeated consultation, this is the copy professors recommend—hardcover firsts survive highlighter pens and library drops far better than the later paperbacks that flood the used market.
Owning a first-edition Christiane F. is more than nostalgia; it is a tangible piece of cultural history. Documentary filmmakers, music video producers, and exhibit curators still hunt for copies to scan the iconic jacket imagery and period photographs inside. Because the 1980 English printing was small and most copies were read to pieces, clean firsts now trade for double the price of later reprints. Secure this survivor now and you hold both a gripping memoir and a collectible asset that appreciates as Berlin-era retrospectives continue to multiply across streaming platforms and museum walls.
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