Books

KEROUAC, John [Jack]. The Town and the City Advance Review Copy. New York, Harcourt, Brace and Company, 1950. Advance copy of the first edition of Kerouac s first book. Kerouac s The Town and the City provides captivating insights into the lives of the Beat Generation, seven years before the publication of his masterpiece On the Road. Serving as an essentially autobiographical novel, this book already showcases the author s lyrical sensibility, along with his immense literary energy and imagination. Octavo, pp. 499; a near-fine copy with some light staining to title; original peach-coloured wrappers, front cover lettered in black (spine expertly relaid, some very light staining to front cover); custom box.

The Town and the City was Jack Kerouac's debut novel, published in 1950. It presents a coming-of-age story of a young man who experiences the dichotomy between provincial American life and the attraction of the city. Kerouac's alter ego is Peter Martin. The novel is heavily influenced by the works of Thomas Wolfe and is based on Kerouac's own early life.