Search Results: Books by jack kerouac

The beginning of the Duluoz Legend Three galley proofs for the first edition of Kerouac's fictionalized tale of his childhood, from the estate of Robert Giroux, the father-figure publisher who launched his career. The "Readers first proof" has approximately 12 manuscript corrections by Kerouac; all three - the "Readers First Proof", the "Marked Set", and the "Final Proof" - have manuscript annotations by Giroux. Editorial material relating to the publication of Kerouac's books is rare. We can trace only three galleys for Kerouac publications on the market in the last 50 years, and only one - a first galley proof for Big Sur (1962), also from Giroux's estate - is of comparable importance. The others were galleys for "In the Ring", an article published in The Atlantic (March 1968), and for his non-fiction collection Lonesome Traveller (1960). This trio of proofs shows Farrar, Strauss and Company's creation of Kerouac's "great big old sad book about the life and death of my little brother Gerard back in… Read More

February 28,1964.

Lowell, Massachusetts: , 15 July 1942. What a strange and beautiful life this is... as weird and lovely as the very sea An early love letter, lengthy and self-consciously literary, in which Kerouac portrays himself as an itinerant writer, not unlike Jack London, who wants to go "quietly, with my plans, and commit nothing, and expect nothing, but love everything". He and Blickfelt had met in Manhattan as teenagers. They dated briefly in April 1940 and Kerouac continued corresponding with her despite claiming that he "wasn't in love with any girl" (Maher, p. 109). Kerouac's letter, written in a booklet form that gives it the feel of a self-consciously literary object rather than a functional missive, narrates his days as a "listening and smoking" wanderer, "drowsing on a New Orleans river wharf, yawning, slapping off the flies, humming the blues", whose "ancients, Breton fishermen, stir in my blood" and urge him to shrug off "dull, prosaic living" in favour of the brotherhood to be found at sea: "to… Read More

1960. Rare mimeographed questionnaire sent by a graduate student of City College of New York to Jack Kerouac; completed and signed twice by him with a lengthy inscription in conclusion. Two pages, partially printed the questionnaire begins with a typed letter signed by James A. Sherlock politely requesting Kerouac's response which reads in part: "Dear Mr. Kerouac, I am a graduate student of City College of New York, working upon an original research project aimed at uncovering certain educational factors in the lives of successful writers. As you undoubtedly know, there always has been considerable interest in analyzing the psychological make-up of the writer, but seldom has the more prosaic factor of the writer's education been taken into consideration. Through this questionnaire, I would like to find out if the average successful writer considers his high school education in English a help or a hindrance in preparing him for his profession. Did frequent composition assignments aid the writer in… Read More

New York: The Viking Press, 1957. Third Printing. Near Fine/Near Fine. Third printing of the first edition. Signed by Jack Kerouac on the front free endpaper and inscribed "To Don--- / from / Jack Kerouac / I'm really happy / that you came to the / party Henri threw for me!" Henri was one of Kerouac's oldest friends, Henri Cru, the character Remi Boncoeur in On the Road. Bound in publisher's original black cloth boards lettered in white. Near Fine with splash mark to topstain and pages toned, in a Near Fine unclipped third printing dust jacket with light edge wear, light rubbing and light dimpling to spine. A stunning copy.. The defining work of the Beat Generation. With the exception of one signing event in Denver for his first book, The Town and the City, Kerouac did not to do any promotional signings. And when this book was published, Kerouac was so overwhelmed by the publicity he received that he went into self-imposed exile with his mother. Hence, signed copies in any printing of the legendary… Read More

New York: Grove Press, 1966. Satori In Paris is a tale of Kerouac's own trip to France, to trace his ancestors and explore his own understanding of the Buddhism that came to define his beliefs, contains some of Kerouac's most lyrical descriptions. From his reports of the strangers he meets and the all-night conversations he enjoys in seedy bars in Paris and Brittany, to the moment in a cab he experiences Buddhism's satori - a feeling of sudden awakening - Kerouac's affecting and revolutionary writing transports the reader. Published at the height of his fame, Satori in Paris is a hectic tale of philosophy, identity and the powerful strangeness of travel.

New York: The Viking Press, 1957. First Edition. Hardcover. Dust Jacket Included. First Edition. Hardcover. Signed by Author. Kerouac, Jack. ON THE ROAD. Signed. New York: Viking Press, 1957. 8vo., 310pp. A very good or better copy, the white spine lettering partially rubbed, evidence of a bookplate having been removed from the front free endpaper otherwise the book block is clean & free of blemish. Kerouac has signed in black ink at the top of the second blank page which has likely been added later to this copy. Notwithstanding it is indeed signed & as such not to be toyed with as there are only a handful of really top-of-mind modern titles & right beside Catcher & Mockingbird sits OTR or is it the other way round? The dustwrapper is very good or better having been professionally restored with work done primarily at the spine heel & crown. An extremely good copy.

KEROUAC, Jack (1922-1969)
Typed letter signed twice " Jack " and " Jack Kerouac " to Granville H. Jones [Northport, New York, 22 November 1960] 2 p. in-4°, with enveloppe Fold marks, small sport on lower margin of page 2
A fine letter – partly unpublished – in which kerouac speaks of his legendary novel On the Road and the criticism he has been the subject of, his faith in writing, his disgust with celebrity and more broadly his vision of the evolution of American society
"Dear Granville, Your thesis was given to me by Jas. Benenson. It is such a neat volume, I mean the typing, the exhaustive bibliographies, the whole works. It is the only thing too that has made me happy in three years, since the publication of On the Road and the subsequent sickeningness of 'being famous' (being used by everybody and his uncle) and of course the nausea of phoney criticisms based on the wrong reasons (as for instance those who 'admire' for being so 'wild & irresponsible' etc.) What you've written about me has… Read More

New York: Grove Press, 1959. First Edition. Hardcover. Near Fine/Very Good. First edition, first printing. Signed by Robert Frank and inscribed to "MacDowell Aug .18.02 For Mr William Banks under trees in a wonderful country Robert Frank". William Banks was the longest standing board member of the MacDowell Colony, which is the oldest art colony in the United States. Bound in publisher's original black cloth binding with gilt titles on spine. Near Fine with light fading to cloth at edges, cloth worn through in small patches at bottom corners and a tiny spot to the bottom textblock edge, pages lightly tanned and lightly bumped at the bottom corners. In a Very Good restored dust jacket with some mended tears and infill. An outsider's nuanced view of American society, as seen through the Swiss-born photographer's lens.

Unbound. Near Fine. An early Autograph Letter Signed from Kerouac to his then-girlfriend, Norma Blickfelt, written when he was 20 years old and serving on board a Merchant Marine ship during World War II, reflecting on his life and foreshadowing much of what he would later become famous for. Two lined sheets written in pencil on both sides, totaling four pages, and later annotated by Kerouac on the first sheet in red ink: "Love letter written at sea." Overall very good or better with light creasing from being mailed, staple holes at the corner of both sheets, and each with the same uneven margin from being torn from a notebook. Kerouac joined the Merchant Marine in the summer of 1942 and served on board the S.S. *Dorchester* bound for Greenland transporting a submarine repair crew. He relates the experience in *Vanity of Duluoz*, along with a failed torpedo attack on the ship. He had joined as both a patriotic gesture during the war and also as a way to make money so he could afford to go back to… Read More

Chicago: Playboy Press, 1965. Jack Kerouac's personal advance copy of The Twelfth Anniversary Playboy Reader. Quarto, original cloth. Laid in is the original transmittal letter on Hefner's Playboy Press letterhead dated September 8, 1965, which reads in part: "Dear Mr. Kerouac: Here, with my personal compliments, is your advance copy of The Twelfth Anniversary Playboy Reader, which is being published by Playboy Press. It is a hallmark in the history of Playboy, a distinguished compilation of the very best prose we have published in our magazine during its first twelve years. Your work has contributed mightily to our success, and I am very pleased to have included it in this volume... Cordially, Hugh M. Hefner." Signed by Hefner in facsimile. Kerouac was one of a staggering number of authors whose work was published in Playboy Magazine early in their writing careers, when they were still virtually unknown. Published to commemorate the 12th anniversary of the magazine's first appearance on December 1,… Read More

New York: Viking. 1957. First Edition; First Printing. Hardcover. Good+ in a Very Good dust jacket. Owner personalization on title page. Rubbing along panel edges. Light chipping at spine crown/heel. Shelf wear on front/rear boards and spine. ; Check signed by Jack Kerouac laid in. .

New York: The Viking Press, 1957. First Edition. Near Fine/Near Fine. First edition, first printing. Bound in publisher's original black cloth stamped in white with red topstain. Near Fine with faint spotting to cloth at the foot of the spine, else binding is sharp and bright. Former owner name and date to front free endpaper; faint tape ghosts to endsheets and jacket flaps and pages gently tanned. In a Near Fine unclipped dust jacket with faint rubbing to the extremities and light yet pervasive waviness to panels but still very bright and sharp with no fading. A stunning copy of the defining work of the Beat Generation.

New York: Harcourt Brace and Company, 1950. First Edition, First Printing. Hardcover. Octavo, 499 pages. In Very Good condition, with a Good plus dust jacket. Spine illustrated with white titling. Dust jacket protected with a mylar covering. Price unclipped: "$3.50". Dust jacket shows mild chipping and wear to all extremities, some tape reinforcement along interior of jacket on the rear hinge and lower edge. Boards have light wear to bottom edges. The Text block has a small price-stamp to rear endpaper. Signed flat by Kerouac as 'John Kerouac' on the front free end page, unusually signed as such. CX Consignment. Shelved in Case 3. The first major work published by Kerouac, The Town and the City was originally published under the name of 'John Kerouac'. However, for the remainder of his writing career, Kerouac elected to go by the name 'Jack'. This novel shows Kerouac at an early stage in his development as a writer, before his embrace of "spontaneous prose" and deeply indebted stylistically to Tom… Read More

New York: Harcourt, Brace and Company, 1950. First edition of the Jack Kerouac's first book. Octavo, original red cloth. Presentation copy, inscribed by the author on the front free endpaper, "Jack Kerouac To Judge Eno- belated Thanks for driving me home in your Buick in '32, and for your friendship to my father-." The recipient, Judge Eno was the father of Kerouac's close friend Arthur Eno who were classmates at St. Joseph's School. Near fine in a near fine dust jacket. An exceptional inscription, rare and desirable. Kerouac began writing The Town and the City in late 1945, according to Ellis Amburn, who edited Kerouac's last two novels and wrote the biography Subterranean Kerouac. Heavily influenced by Thomas Wolfe, he sent the completed manuscript to Wolfe's publisher, Charles Scribner's Sons, in 1948. Allen Ginsberg lobbied his former teacher at Columbia University (Kerouac had also attended Columbia), Mark Van Doren for help, and Van Doren set up an interview with Alfred Kazin,… Read More

1959-62. Framed note, matted, with a black and white photo of Kerouac holding a cat. Frame measures w 13.25 in. x h 24.75 in. with white background and engraved black placard reading 'Jack Kerouac' below note. Note torn from a notepad, with spiral perforations on the top edge, measuring 9 in. x 6 in. The note reads, in Kerouac's hand: "Dear Lois - See you Friday - Got your beautiful letter about Gerard - We've got to go be quiet. Jack XXX" There is a pencil drawing of a mountain or leaf outline above his signature. JH Consignment. Shelved in Dupont. Jack Kerouac is generally considered the father of the Beat movement, along with William S. Burroughs and Allen Ginsberg. His 1957 novel On the Road made him an icon, and was hailed as "the most beautifully executed, the clearest and the most important utterance yet made by the generation Kerouac himself named years ago as 'beat,' and whose principal avatar he is." by the New York Times. Lois Sorrells Beckwith married actor Robert Sorrells in… Read More

New York: Grove Press, 1959. First Edition. Hardcover. Fine/near fine. Oblong small quarto, unpaginated. Mild foxing and a few pieces of non-staining tape on the verso of the dust jacket, reinforcing a few tiny closed tears, otherwise a remarkably fine copy of this foundational volume of 20th century photography, hardly ever found this nice.

New York: The Viking Press, 1957. First Edition. Near Fine/Near Fine. First edition, first printing. Review copy with publisher's slip laid-in. [iv], 310 pp. Bound in publisher's original black cloth stamped in white with red topstain. Near Fine with very faint cup ring to rear board, tanning to pages. In a Near Fine unclipped dust jacket ($3.95) with light rubbing, minor spine sunning. A lovely copy of this Beat cornerstone.

New York: Harcourt, Brace and Company, 1950. First edition of the Jack Kerouac's first book. Octavo, original red cloth. Presentation copy, inscribed by the author on the front free endpaper, "To Dave Creviston To Scribner's With Luck To Dave With Luck (f.s) Jack Kerouac." An interesting inscription as Kerouac submitted this work to Charles Scribner's Sons twice, and was rejected both times before being accepted by Harcourt Brace. Near fine in a near fine dust jacket. Housed in a custom half morocco clamshell box. An exceptional inscription, rare and desirable. Kerouac began writing The Town and the City in late 1945, according to Ellis Amburn, who edited Kerouac's last two novels and wrote the biography Subterranean Kerouac. Heavily influenced by Thomas Wolfe, he sent the completed manuscript to Wolfe's publisher, Charles Scribner's Sons, in 1948. Allen Ginsberg lobbied his former teacher at Columbia University (Kerouac had also attended Columbia), Mark Van Doren for help, and Van… Read More

1957: Viking Press. First Edition . First Edition/First Printing. Hardcover. Fine book in a near fine Dust Jacket, with slight wear. Jacket priced at $3.95. Bright unrubbed copy and the cornerstone of Beat literature. Uncommon in this condition. Housed in a clamshell case.