Books

A bright third impression of Jack Kerouac's iconic semi-autobiographical novel in the original unclipped dust wrapper. The first UK edition, third impression of this work, published the year following the first edition. Jack Kerouac's post-war Beat and Counterculture generation defining work based on the author's own travels around the US.The novel takes place against a background of jazz, poetry, and drug use, and features many cultural key figures such as William S. Burroughs and Allen Ginsberg.Complete with its unclipped dust wrapper. In the original publisher's full cloth binding. Externally lovely. Dust wrapper unclipped with minor shelf wear, sunned to spine, minor tape repair to extremity front fly leaf. Ink inscription to introduction, undated. Light minor odd spotting to fore edge only affecting endpapers lightly, pages otherwise bright and clean. Near Fine.

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.