Books

First UK edition, first impression. Cloth-bound. Hardcover. Octavo (19.5cm x 13cm x 3cm). Pp. 310. Bound in publisher's original red cloth with gilt titles to spine. Supplied in original dust jacket. Initial and terminal blanks plus half-title present. Printed in Great Britain by D. R. Hillman & Son Ltd. Condition: VERY GOOD. Binding tight, secure and square. The covers remarkably clean with sharp edges. Interior largely very clean with some light browning to endpapers. Previous owner name neatly inked to front pastedown. The original dust jacket has been neatly price clipped, there is some mild edge wear and a small taped repair to the spine. Scarce thus. Notes: First U.K. edition, first printing of Kerouac's masterpiece and a defining work of the post-war Beat and counterculture generations. The iconic dust jacket, designed by Len Deighton, is the first issue with Kerouac's photo to the rear flap. A very good copy.

Jack Kerouac's 1957 novel "On the Road" is an emblematic portrait of the Beat Generation, capturing the yearning for freedom and authenticity against postwar American conformity. This semi-autobiographical work, based on the adventures of Kerouac and his friends across America, is often seen as a defining work of the countercultural movements of the 1950s and 60s. It chronicles the cross-country voyages of Sal Paradise, Kerouac’s alter ego, and Dean Moriarty, a free-spirited, charismatic rebel. "On the Road" is structured around several trips made by Sal and Dean, describing their escapades as they travel back and forth across the country. These journeys are less about the destinations and more about the experiences they gather, the people they meet, and the quest for meaning in a society perceived as rigid and materialistic. The narrative style of the book, known for its spontaneous, stream-of-consciousness prose, mirrors the tumultuous, impulsive lives of its characters. The novel not only explores physical journeys but also personal and spiritual ones. Dean's frenetic energy and Sal’s introspective nature contrast sharply, yet both characters are united in their disdain for conventional values. They indulge in jazz, poetry, and drug use—exploring alternative forms of consciousness and relationships.