On the Road by Jack Kerouac
Perhaps
the most famous and influential of the Beat novels, Jack Kerouac's On
the Road represents much of what
made the Beat and Counterculture movements so unique and important.
The plot concerning the road trips and adventures experienced by
Kerouac and his friends is well-known, as are the rumors and tall
tales of the books' production.
Kerouac
often claimed that the wrote On the Road
in a mere three weeks on a single 120-foot scroll of paper. Although
that scroll does indeed exist and is featured in museums, Kerouac
kept detailed journals of his travels that would later become
passages and chapters in the finished product. The book was first
published by Viking in 1957.
Viking
Press would go on to publish an edited version of On the
Road in 2007 to commemorate the
50th
anniversary of the first printing. They substituted the fictional
names for the real Beat protagonists, and they even included some of
the more sexually explicit passages that were edited out of the 1957
edition.
Due to
the cultural significance of the book, true first editions/first
printings of On the Road
are quite valuable. But be warned: it is easy to mistake reprints
or book club editions for the real thing, so always check with an
expert before making a significant purchase.
Best selling editions of On the Road
Collecting On the Road
Perhaps
the most famous and influential of the Beat novels, Jack Kerouac's On
the Road represents much of what
made the Beat and Counterculture movements so unique and important.
The plot concerning the road trips and adventures experienced by
Kerouac and his friends is well-known, as are the rumors and tall
tales of the books' production.
Kerouac
often claimed that the wrote On the Road
in a mere three weeks on a single 120-foot scroll of paper. Although
that scroll does indeed exist and is featured in museums, Kerouac
kept detailed journals of his travels that would later become
passages and chapters in the finished product. The book was first
published by Viking in 1957.
Viking
Press would go on to publish an edited version of On the
Road in 2007 to commemorate the
50th
anniversary of the first printing. They substituted the fictional
names for the real Beat protagonists, and they even included some of
the more sexually explicit passages that were edited out of the 1957
edition.
Due to
the cultural significance of the book, true first editions/first
printings of On the Road
are quite valuable. But be warned: it is easy to mistake reprints
or book club editions for the real thing, so always check with an
expert before making a significant purchase.
