Books

First Edition. With title page date of 1957 and "Published in 1957 by the Viking Press, Inc. 625 Madison Avenue, New York 22" on the copyright page. With Copyright of 1955, 1957 by Jack Kerouac. Library of Congress Catalog Card Number: 57-9425. The true first edition in the first edition dustjacket printed in bands of blue and red on the rear panel. With a 22-line excerpt "From ON THE ROAD:" on the rear panel. Only 7,500 copies printed, including those issued with the additional white dustwrapper. (Ahearn APG) VG+/VG in finely woven black cloth stamped brightly in white on the front boards and the spine. A clean, tight copy in crisp, gleaming black boards with faint tape residues at the top and bottom edges of the front and rear boards where the dustjacket was secured in a Brodart. In a clean, crisp first issue dustjacket with the blue and red bands at the top and bottom of the rear panel. With "On the Road" "$3.95" at the top of the front inside flap. With Bill English's abstract rectangular drawings in blue, red, and black on the front panel and the spine.There are small chips at the top and bottom of the spine ends and black ink marks at the top and bottom of the rear inside flap and at the bottom of the front flap. Apparently, the dustjacket was wrapped in a Brodart protector which left some sticky residue at the bottom and top edges of the boards as well as some black residue to the edges of the endpapers. Perhaps a lending library book, noting the faint tape marks at the edges of the front and rear boards. With red topstaining which has a touch of fading here and there. Overall, a handsome, collectible copy of this scarce "Beat" classic. First Edition. With title page date of 1957 and "Published in 1957 by the Viking Press, Inc. 625 Madison Avenue, New York 22" on the copyright page. With Copyright of 1955, 1957 by Jack Kerouac. Library of Congress Catalog Card Number: 57-9425.

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.