Books

New York: The Viking Press, 1958. First edition. First edition, first printing. [vi], 244 pp. Bound in publisher's black cloth lettered in metallic green and silver, green topstain. Near Fine with a few small stains to cloth, typical fade to topstain, in a Very Good+ with rubbing, no fading to spine panel, unclipped ($3.95). A nice copy.

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.