Books

First edition. Original black cloth lettered in white to spine and upper cover, in the black pictorial dustwrapper. Top edge red. A fine copy in a near fine dustwrapper, which is exceptionally bright and crisp with no fading to the spine and just a trace of wear and a couple of minute closed tears, but has a freshness seldom seen in this book. The author's second book, and the one for which he is best known, now considered the defining work of the beat generation.Although conceived in the late 1940s, On The Road was written over the course of just three weeks in April 1951, but rejected by his previous publisher Harcourt, Brace. Turning to Viking, it still took another six years before the first edition was released, though extracts appeared in The Paris Review, New World Writing and New Directions prior to publication.

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.

A true first edition can be identified by a black cloth binding with white lettering on the spine, a mention of 'New York Herald Tribune' on the back cover but without 'New York Times' on the back cover, and a photo of Jack Kerouac watching a parade.