Jack Kerouac (1957)'On the Road', SIGNED first edition first print, Viking US

Jack Kerouac (1957)'On the Road', SIGNED first edition first print, Viking US
Jack Kerouac (1957)'On the Road', SIGNED first edition first print, Viking US
Jack Kerouac (1957)'On the Road', SIGNED first edition first print, Viking US
Jack Kerouac (1957)'On the Road', SIGNED first edition first print, Viking US
Jack Kerouac (1957)'On the Road', SIGNED first edition first print, Viking US
Jack Kerouac (1957)'On the Road', SIGNED first edition first print, Viking US
Jack Kerouac (1957)'On the Road', SIGNED first edition first print, Viking US
Jack Kerouac (1957)'On the Road', SIGNED first edition first print, Viking US
Jack Kerouac (1957)'On the Road', SIGNED first edition first print, Viking US
Jack Kerouac (1957)'On the Road', SIGNED first edition first print, Viking US
Jack Kerouac (1957)'On the Road', SIGNED first edition first print, Viking US
Jack Kerouac (1957)'On the Road', SIGNED first edition first print, Viking US

Jack Kerouac (1957)'On the Road', SIGNED first edition first print, Viking US

Jack Kerouac (1957) On the Road. From the estate of Lord Birdwood, a US first edition, first printing published by Viking.

First state dust jacket priced USD 3.95, and with the blue and red edge stripes as called for. Also, Jack Kerouacs signature on a cheque/ check written for Schlossmanns in New York for the amount of USD 247.64 dated 19 August 1958.

Whatever Kerouac paid for with this cheque, the funds certainly stemmed from the On The Road royalties. We are very proud to be able to offer this book together with this cheque as this makes it one of very few copies on the market with an authentic laid in signature which was penned close to the'On the Road' publication.

Very good +/ near fine. Very good, unrestored dust jacket. The book has no lean; no foxing to the pages (neither to the edges, nor anywhere inside the book); no tears; no major rubbing. The white lettering on the spine is vibrant and not rubbed out as often seen.

The top stain is vibrant burgundy-red. The iconic and fragile black boards usually unforgivingly show every single rub and dusting. As can be seen in the pictures, the black boards are very clean. There is a slight push to the upper front corner.

On the front free end paper (ffep) there is the previous owners signature: Birdwood (see below). The dust jacket is unrestored and in very good condition with slight edge wear. We see the typical fraying and minor chipping to the folds and a couple of close tears.

However, there is no minor loss, it is NOT price clipped, and the reverse shows the jacket clean and white (very unusual) without any foxing or discolouration. The American dust jackets from the 50s and early 60s are very fragile and copies with perfect wrappers are exceptionally scarce.

At best they are described as near fine which has benefited from restoration by a paper conservationist. This dust jacket was not touched by any restorer and is nevertheless well preserved.

Lord Mark William Ogilvie Birdwood. 3rd Baron Birdwood was a member of the House of Lords, and expert on defence. Whilst usually previous owners signatures/ marks are considered a flaw, we feel that this is not the case here as the previous owner is clearly not an ordinary person, and if the signature does not add any significant value it should not decrease it either. The obituary reveals that Lord Birdwood whilst an undergraduate, together with five fellow Cambridge students, drove from London to Nepal in a Land Rover, an expedition that took them across Europe and through Turkey, Persia and Afghanistan.

Hence, it does not come as a surprise why Birdwood owned a first edition copy of On the Road, cherished it, and kept in such a remarkable condition! The print run of the first edition of On the Road was with. Not many copies have withstood the passage of time in decent condition, especially with the fragile first state dust jacket. This is the most important novel of American 20th century fiction, and the granddaddy of the Beat Generation.

A book that has left its permanent mark on American culture and literature, popularising the idea of taking road trips across America. Signed Jack Kerouac cheques, or simple notes and letters, regularly fetch around USD 2,000 at professional auctions. We have more pictures upon request.

We have noticed that fellow eba. Yers have started to copy-paste our listings' text and even pictures.

Please respect the time and effort we put into every of our listing; thank you! The item "Jack Kerouac (1957)'On the Road', SIGNED first edition first print, Viking US" is in sale since Sunday, November 18, 2018.

This item is in the category "Books, Comics & Magazines\Antiquarian & Collectable". The seller is "firstandfine" and is located in Birmingham.

This item can be shipped to all countries in Europe, all countries in continental Asia, United States, Canada.


Jack Kerouac (1957)'On the Road', SIGNED first edition first print, Viking US


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