Books

First Printing, one of 10,500 copies. Octavo; red cloth, with titling and rule stamped in gilt on spine and front cover; dark gray topstain; dustjacket; [viii],499,[1]pp. Base of spine gently nudged, 1cm closed tear to cloth at crown, with two faint, shallow bumps to upper board edges; Very Good+. Dustjacket is supplied, unclipped (priced $3.50), lightly worn at spine ends and extremitities, with several short tears and attendant creases; unrestored, Very Good+ example. Offered together with the publishers advance review copy: Octavo; salmon wrappers, with titles printed in black on front cover; 499, [5]pp. Gentle sunning to spine, faint stain to front wrapper, with a few small splash marks to rear and a 1.5cm closed tear to upper front joint; Very Good+. Together with a one-page typed publicity letter from the publishers, with the rubber-stamped signatures of Eugene Reynal, Edward A. Hodge, and Robert Giroux at lower margin. Two old folds, with faint toning along same; Very Good+ or better. The author's first novel, written between 1947-48 in Queens where he lived with his mother and father. The present copies belonged to poet Jackson Mac Low. Laid into the advance copy is a TLS from the publishers addressed to "Miss Maclow" (the painter Iris Lezak, who Mac Low would later marry), dated two months prior to publication with contents somewhat prophetic in nature: "Dear Miss Maclow: Here is your preview of THE TOWN AND THE CITY, which we shall publish on March 2. This is a big, new novel by John Kerouac--a name you have never before heard--one of the most exciting new talents to come to American readers since Thomas Wolfe." A superb, early letter, presumably sent to Mac Low for a favorable review, and a wonderful association between two of the 20th century's prominent poets. Provenance: Through the trade, from the estate of Jackson Mac Low. Charters A1a.

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.