The Beat classic
KEROUAC, Jack. On the Road. New York: The Viking Press. 1957.
8vo. Original black cloth boards with an ownership inscription to ffep marked 'Sept 1957'; illustrated black dust jacket with white title lettering to spine and blurb to rear board; pp [8], 310, [4]; head of spine very lightly scuffed; front of dust wrapper with restoration; otherwise near fine.
The very first edition issued by Viking, scarce in such excellent condition.
"the only people for me are the mad ones, the ones who are mad to live, mad to talk, mad to be saved, desirous of everything at the same time, the ones who never yawn or say a commonplace thing, but burn, burn, burn like fabulous yellow roman candles exploding like spiders across the stars."
Written on one long continuous scroll in a frenetic three week period of explosive creativity, and now considered one of the great literary achievements of the 20th century, On the Road is the semi-autobiographical novel that caught the imagination of its generation, and those that succeeded it, undoubtedly starting many on their own journeys towards a more liberated approach to the world.
Jack Kerouac is considered one of the most prominent writers of the Beat Generation, a movement which had huge influence on the counterculture of the 1950's.
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