Search Results: First Editions by 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. Autograph manuscript signed, being Kerouac’s answers to twelve typed questions from Robert Dodd, two pages, quarto, 28 February 1964. Kerouac candidly replies to a young man’s questions. Given a ninth-grade classroom assignment to contact his favorite writer, Robert Dodd chose Jack Kerouac. The author provides lengthy answers to the young Dodd's questions. On the question of his changing writing style Kerouac explains: "The Town and the City was my first, young man novel when I was just starting our trying to write like Thomas Wolfe -- Lonesome Traveler is a product of my own style which I developed in later years, spontaneous writing' with no looking back, in my own laws of storytelling -- OUTER SPACE PROSE! My own original invention." On the question of being classified as a “Beatnik” or a "way-out" writer, Kerouac responds: "'Way-out' yes, but I never was a Beatnik – it was the newspapers and critics who tagged that label on me -- I never had a beard, never wore… 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: Grove Press, 1966. First edition of Kerouac's penultimate novel. Octavo, original cloth. Association copy, inscribed by the author on the title page, "Tony's copy- signed by his brother man Jacky Kerouac." The recipient, Tony Sampras was the youngest brother of Kerouac's wife, Stella. Tony and Kerouac were close, Kerouac called Tony two days before his death and the On the Road scroll was left to him by Stella in her will. Near fine in a near fine dust jacket. Jacket design by Kuhlman Associates.  Housed in a custom half morocco clamshell box. Rare and desirable signed and inscribed, especially with such an association. 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… Read More

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.

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.

Viking FIRST EDITION, Signed by previous owner, no dust jacket, pages underlined with crayon, front cover taped on with duck tape, slight burned smell, but could be just cigarette smell which almost hides the musty odor, minor Kool-ade spill on last 30 pages (cherry I think), top edges magic markered with devil symbol, owner's name stamped on first 17 pages, bookplate, states 3rd printing, 1 signature slightly loose and stapled in, rear cover detached, otherwise fine. . First Edition. Hard Cover. Poor/No Jacket.

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: Grove Press, Inc., 1959. First edition of the photographer's classic work. Oblong quarto, illustrated throughout. Presentation copy, boldly inscribed by the author on the front free endpaper, "For Peter Thompson Robert Frank." Near fine in a near fine dust jacket with a small chip to the spine. Introduction by Jack Kerouac. Housed in a custom half morocco and chemise clamshell box. Uncommon in this condition and signed. Jack Kerouac wrote in his preface of The Americans, "Robert Frank he sucked a sad poem out of America onto film, taking rank among the tragic poets of the world. To Robert Frank I now give this message. You got eyes." Frank’s Américains eventually achieved legendary status as "the most renowned photobook of all It struck a chord with a whole generation of American photographers Many memorable photobooks have been derived from this mass of material. None has been more memorable, more influential, nor more fully realized than Frank’s… 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

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

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.

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: 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 made by the Harcourt Bindery. 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… Read More

New York: Harcourt, Brace and Company, 1950. First edition of Kerouac's first book. Octavo, original red cloth. Signed by Kerouac on the front free endpaper and with the ownership name of his close childhood friend and neighbor in Lowell, Massachusetts, Charles Dudevoir. With a note of provenance signed by Charles Dudevoir's granddaughter which reads in part, "Phil - my mother lived in Lowell when she was young - Irene Dudevoir - Her dad, Charles + mother, Martha knew Keroauc... Thanks! Melinda" and a very detailed three-page typed letter of provenance which reads in part, "I bought this book from a very well known dealer out here in California in '97. His name is Jerry Melon... The Kerouac is a very good signature from him as he frequently signed just 'Jack' or JK... there are a few formal copies of the 'Town' signed 'John Kerouac' but a full fledged Jack Kerouac on any book is very rare... I believe the [inset from the granddaughter of Charles Dudevoir] was written to Phil Chaput, a local Lowell… Read More

Northport, NY: n.p., 1963. First edition. Custom cloth folder. Fine. SIGNED LETTER FROM KEROUAC FEATURING RARE DRAWING AND DISCUSSIONS OF FELLOW WRITERS. Dating from the final decade of Kerouac's life, the present letter is an unpublished insight into how the writer's relationships, attitudes and motivations developed in his later years. On the back of the second leaf is a collection of abstracted forms to which he refers at the start of the letter. Kerouac ironically describes his artwork as a gift "worth 10,000 dollars within 5 years". Identifying the piece, completed in pencil and marker, as an oil painting, he further comments on its value and rarity arising from the probability that he will "suddenly get bored with paint again". Subsequently, Kerouac describes an original piano composition titled "Procession of the Iroquois Chieftain" which-though left un-scored, "'cause I dont know how"-he claims to have recorded on tape. Charting his creative impulses, with increasing proficiency, from… Read More

New York: Grove Press, 1959. First American edition. Near Fine/Near Fine. Oblong quarto. Original black cloth, lettering to spine in gilt. With the photographic dust jacket, collage on the back panel designed by Alfred Leslie. Presented in a champagne cloth clamshell box with black sides. 83 full page black and white photogravures by Frank throughout. Light wear to base of spine, unclipped dust jacket minimally rubbed with three small pieces of tape strengthening folds to verso, a very nice copy. First US edition, first printing, entailing the first appearance of Jack Kerouac's poetic introduction constituting his own ode to America. Frank's Les Americains was originally published in France on 15 May 1958 by Robert Delpire as part of its Encyclopédie Essentielle series. In the French edition Frank's photographs were accompanied by text by authors such as Simone de Beauvoir, Erskine Caldwell, William Faulkner, Henry Miller and John Steinbeck. In this edition the photos are not accompanied by that… Read More

Viking Press. First Edition, First Printing with the words "Published 1958 by the Viking Press" printed on the copyright page with NO indication of later printings. Unclipped DJ in archival cover with usual rubbing, minor edge wear, chip on rear. . Fine. Hardcover. 1st Edition. 1st Printing. 1958.

New York: Viking, 1957. First edition. Near fine in near fine jacket with just a touch of restoration.. First printing, a review copy, of Kerouac's landmark novel, and a defining work of the Beat Generation - in exceptional condition. Kerouac's novel of Sal Paradise and Dean Moriarty (literary stand-ins for the author and Neal Cassady) traveling across the United States was famously written in a drug-fueled mania on a long scroll of paper and became a surprise bestseller. It quickly went through multiple printings and made Kerouac not only a celebrity (famously appearing on the Steve Allen Show), but an unwilling spokesman for a movement. His style - both literary and personal - came to influence postwar youth culture, from rock-and-roll to Marlon Brando. One of the nicest copies of this classic we've handled, and the first review copy. A stunning example. 8" x 5.25" Original black cloth titled in white. In original unclipped ($3.95) color pictorial jacket designed by Bill English. 310 pages.… Read More