Books

New York: The Viking Press, 1958. First Printing. Hardcover with Dust Jacket. Very Good+/Very Good. Bill English (dust jacket design). 8vo. Pp. [3], 4-144, [4]. Bound in full black cloth with green lettering stamped on front board and green and white lettering stamped on spine. Light soiling to cloth with lettering moderately flaked; top edge a tad dust-soiled. In the illustrated dust jacket that shows light rubbing; price of $3.95 intact on front flap. As with On the Road the black dust jacket has been notoriously prone to evidence of wear. Here we present a bright example. Dust jacket is now housed in a removable, clear archival protector.

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.