Sixty years ago today, [66 – 2023] Jack Kerouac‘s ground-breaking seminal “Beat Generation” novel, On The Road, was published by Viking Press. The book was conceived and composed several years earlier.
[Original “Self-Instructions” list for composing On the Road. Typescript, 1951. New York Public Library, Berg Collection, Jack Kerouac Archive]
[Jack Kerouac. Design for front cover of proposed paperback edition of On the Road, 1952. NYPL, Berg Collection, Jack Kerouac Archive]
The legendary 120-foot long ms. of On the Road – “the scroll”
Here’s a selection of On The Road covers:
and many more (from different translations of the book) can be found here –
Happy 60th birthday, On The Road !
Love comparing and admiring these illustrations, but for sure the first is best. I have my own ‘on the road’ memoir out now, entitled ‘Chicago Rage’ and we need many more such, for the BEAT goes on. Write what you live and bleed your singing soul onto the page. Write on!