first edition 1 vols. 8vo
1957 · New York
by Kerouac, Jack
New York: The Viking Press, 1957. First edition. 1 vols. 8vo. Publisher's black cloth lettered in white. About very good, some rubbing and marks to boards, which are mostly invisible against the black, the K on the spine rubbed off, and rubbing to N and T of cover; unclipped dust jacket with some rubbing around the edges, especially in the corners, seam along spine and chipped along head of front hinge of jacket. First edition. 1 vols. 8vo. Handsome copy of the novel that represents the Beat Generation in all its glory. William Burroughs, Alan Ginsberg and Kerouac himself are all represented here. The hero of the book, Dean Moriarty is based on Neal Cassady.
The composition of the work is almost as famous as the book. Kerouac typed the entire first draft over three weeks on a single roll of paper. He then spent the next six years revising it for publication. In 2001, the original typescript was sold at auction for $2.43 million. (Inventory #: 353810)
The composition of the work is almost as famous as the book. Kerouac typed the entire first draft over three weeks on a single roll of paper. He then spent the next six years revising it for publication. In 2001, the original typescript was sold at auction for $2.43 million. (Inventory #: 353810)
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