Books

First edition, first printing of Kerouac's best known novel and a defining work of the postwar Beat and counterculture generations, in a third printing jacket. New York: The Viking Press, 1957. Publisher's original black cloth, lettered in white; pp. (iv), 310. An about good copy in a very good, price clipped dust jacket. Binding remains sturdy with a slight lean. Boards show general light wear and rubbing, with the spine lettered rubbed off, front cover lettering mostly rubbed off, light bubbling to the spine cloth. A handful of minor stains and smudges internally, else quite clean. Jacket remains bright and vivid with light shelfwear, small closed tear to rear panel, minor spot of restoration to top corner of front panel, protected in archival mylar.

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.