“Buck a Book” – Hand-Decorated Bookstore Display by Richard Allen Morris
Medium: Mixed media on paper-covered cardboard box
Artist: Richard Allen Morris (b. 1933)
Signed by the artist
Condition: Good vintage condition with expected signs of age

This one-of-a-kind piece of promotional ephemera was created as a promotional sign for a bookstore—now it’s a slice of mid-century art history. A playful, hand-decorated display created by influential West Coast painter Richard Allen Morris, it features the catchy slogan “Buck a Book” and a punny picture of a bucking bronco. The piece is signed by Morris, adding to its rarity and collectible value.

Known for his inventive, often irreverent approach to materials and form, Morris worked largely outside the mainstream art market but has been widely recognized for his contributions to postwar West Coast abstraction and assemblage. This piece reflects his wit, graphic sensibility, and experimental spirit—at the intersection of art, language, and everyday culture.

An art-meets-ephemera gem: ideal for collectors of outsider art, bookstore history, or mid-century American visual culture.