Books

NY: Viking Press, 1950. First Edition. Hardcover. Very good/Very good. An association copy: signed by Gary Snyder on the copyright page. Apparently when asked to sign the book, Snyder replied, slyly, "But I didn't write it." He then relented, though, and out of deference to Kerouac signed the copyright page instead of the title page. The book is a roman a clef,  and Snyder is the main character, Japhy Ryder, who models Buddhist practice and eventually leads the narrator up the Matterhorn in the Eastern Sierra for a sublime experience. Very good with some light rubbing to board edges, a drip stain to top face of text block, toning to pages. In a very good jacket with rubbing and slight loss to corners and spine ends. An iconic book and scarce signed by Japhy.

The Dharma Bums is a 1958 novel by Beat Generation author Jack Kerouac. The semi-autobiographical story is based on the author's experiences during the mid-1950s while living in California, after he'd become interested in Buddhism's spiritual mode of understanding. One of the main characters, Japhy Ryder, is based on the real poet Gary Snyder, who was a close friend and whose interest in Buddhism influenced Kerouac.

A true first edition can be identified by the specific cover design and the absence of later edition statements or printing numbers. For 'The Dharma Bums', Viking Press first editions are typically identified by the 1958 date on the title page and dust jacket with the specific triangular mountain design.