Navigation

Joe’s Library

NEW!

Joe was an avid reader who gained insight and inspiration from his books. They became an important foundation for his own work. He treasured his books, but he did not treat them as too precious to use. He generously underscored and highlighted passages. He often listed topics on the back inside cover with page references for easy referral. There are also phone numbers, fragmented sentences and more.

Some books are covered in marginalia. In a few, Joe would even edit passages. Most of his books have been in his personal library since he originally purchased them – they range in date published from the 1950s to the 1990s.

Now, you can own a book or two of Joe’s, and perhaps get a glimpse into his thought processes and perspective regarding a wide array of subjects.

Please NOTE: All sales of Joe’s personal library are Final.
Thank you.

Heavily Marked (sold out-more coming) || Moderately Marked || Lightly Marked

THANK YOU!

All of the books listed have been SOLD OUT!!

Thank you so much – your continued support is what allows me to not only keep Joe’s legacy alive, but to research and uncover so much that Joe left behind. Materials no one has seen. I am working hard to make sure you are able to see or listen to it as soon as possible.

Meanwhile, there are a couple more boxes of Joe’s books that I will prepare for sale. They will likely be available early 2023.

Reviews of Joe’s Work

"To me, he's what radio is really for... his show makes me think he's getting to some great truth... so completely captivating and just unlike anything else."

David Sedaris, writer

"You don't have to close your eyes to appreciate Joe Frank's dense audio universe cascading out of your radio. It helps, though, because there are so many layers - of sound, philosophy, of reality-coursing through his dramas... Come to think of it, after awhile, you won't want to close your eyes because in Frank's short stories for the radio, the tension and pathos are as enveloping as they are intriguing... "

The Washington Post

"Mixing bizarre monologues, multi-sequenced dramatic vignettes and mock-solemn critiques, [Joe Frank's work] is both sophisticated and surreal. A sizable cult has been growing around Frank...a rare radio talent."

The Village Voice

"Frank has created a series of dead-pan radio monologues so sharp and intelligent that during the quiet bits you can almost hear God taking notes."

The UK Guardian

"The perfect Joe Frank experience is driving down an unfamiliar highway alone at night. You turn on your radio and are greeted by a lush, resonant voice that lulls you into a seemingly simple tale of love: a man at an airport saying goodbye to his wife over the phone, which abruptly turns into a vision of betrayal, alienation and death - often from obscure disease - all brought about by some profound personal failing, which is redeemed at the last moment by a nearly transcendent moment of joy."

Salon

"Although commonly categorized as radio drama, Frank's work bears very little resemblance to the stagy artifice of plays performed over air. Frank wanders deeply into the unconscious, producing Dionysian stories with a fairy-tale intensity whose effect is often funny, disturbing and deeply memorable."

Salon

"Frank [is] the apostle of radio noire... His free-form radio dramas... are sometimes moving, often funny, but always manage to confound the listeners' expectations. A maestro of verité, Frank exploits the power of radio..."

Rolling Stone

"Joe Frank's often bizarre scenarios for the mind are decidedly offbeat radio fare...part surreal satire, part bizarre meditation, part fever dream."

Los Angeles Daily News

"Frank wanders deeply into the unconscious, producing Dionysian stories with a fairy-tale intensity whose effect is often funny, disturbing and deeply memorable."

Salon Magazine

"[Frank] travels in the emotional landscape of Bergman and Fellini; there's a tension and sense of mystery halfway between Kafka and Chandler... and a satiric edge worthy of Firesign Theatre and Woody Allen... No one else in radio is doing what Frank does."

The Washington Post