Books : On the Road: The Original Scroll

In association with Amazon.com
 View Shopping Cart or Checkout 

Author name: Jack Kerouac

: On the Road: The Original Scroll
View Bigger Picture
Regular marked price: $25.95
Discount Price: $17.13
Cost Savings: $8.82 (34%)
Price fluctuation possible.

Used Price: $3.64
Collectible Price: $55.54
Third Party New Price: $3.64


How soon does it ship: unknown



Shipping? Absolutely FREE if you qualify for Super Saver Shipping.
Type of bind: Hardcover
Dewey Decimal Number: 813.54
EAN num: 9780670063550
ISBN number: 067006355X
Label: Viking Adult
Manufacturer: Viking Adult
Quantity: 1
Page Count: 416
Printing Date: August 16, 2007
Publishing house: Viking Adult
Sale Popularity Level: 43246
Studio: Viking Adult



Other books you might be interested in perusing:

Editor's Notes and Comments:

Product Description:
The legendary 1951 scroll draft of On the Road, published as Kerouac originally composed it

IN THREE WEEKS in April of 1951, Jack Kerouac wrote his very first full draft of On the Road—typed as a single-spaced paragraph on eight long sheets of tracing paper, which he later taped together to form a 120-foot scroll. A major literary event when it was published in Viking hardcover in 2007, this is the uncut version of an American classic—rougher, wilder, and more provocative than the official work that appeared, heavily edited, in 1957. This version, capturing a moment in creative history, represents the very first full expression of Kerouac’s revolutionary aesthetic.

Amazon.com Review:
The legendary 1951 scroll draft of On the Road, published word for word as Kerouac originally composed it

Though Jack Kerouac began thinking about the novel that was to become On the Road as early as 1947, it was not until three weeks in April 1951, in an apartment on West Twentieth Street in Manhattan, that he wrote the very first full draft that was satisfactory to him. Typed out as one long, single-spaced paragraph on eight long sheets of tracing paper that he later taped together to form a 120-foot scroll, this document is among the most significant, celebrated, and provocative artifacts in contemporary American literary history. It represents the very first full expression of Kerouac's revolutionary aesthetic, the identifiable point at which his thematic vision and narrative voice came together in a sustained burst of creative energy. It was also part of a wider vital experimentation in the American literary, musical, and visual arts in the post-World War II period.

It was not until more than six years later, and several new drafts, that Viking published, in 1957, the novel known to us today. On the occasion of the fiftieth anniversary of On the Road, Viking will publish the 1951 scroll in a standard book format. The differences between the two versions are principally ones of significant detail and altered emphasis. The scroll is slightly longer and has a heightened linguistic virtuosity and a more sexually frenetic tone. It also uses the real names of Kerouac's friends instead of the fictional names he later invented for them. The transcription of the scroll was done by Howard Cunnell who, along with Joshua Kupetz, George Mouratidis, and Penny Vlagopoulos, provides a critical introduction that explains the fascinating compositional and publication history of On the Road and anchors the text in its historical, political, and social context.

Celebrating 50 Years of On the Road
A 50th anniversary hardcover edition of Kerouac's classic novel that defined a generation. On the Road is the quintessential American vision of freedom and hope, a book that changed American literature and changed anyone who has ever picked it up.
Why Kerouac Matters: The Lessons of On the Road (They're Not What You Think): John Leland, author of Hip: A History argues that On the Road still matters not for its youthful rebellion but because it is full of lessons about how to grow up.



From the back cover of On the Road: The Original Scroll: Jack Kerouac displaying one of his later scroll manuscripts, most likely The Dharma Bums












Kerouac's map of his very first hitchhiking trip, July-October 1947 (click image to see the full map)

Original New York Times review of On the Road (click image to see the full review)






Customer Reviews
User popularity level: out of 5 stars

Rated by buyers 5 out of 5 stars - Incredible.
On the Road: The Original Scroll was my very first Jack Kerouac novel. It's now tied with the Catcher in the Rye as my favorite book. I liked the "Original Scroll" because I felt like I was brought much closer to Kerouac's experiences by the raw, unedited version that seemed to fit the text than I would have reading 1957 novel. Either way, it is a great book (I cried at the end!) and really a true American epic.


Rated by buyers 4 out of 5 stars - Dean is the best.
If you feel like having a great travel read..who is a little nuts, you will enjoy this. I did.


Rated by buyers 1 out of 5 stars - You're kidding, right?
OK, I tried to read this several times with no luck. It is quite possibly the most boring non-story ever committed to paper. There is no plot, no story, no sympathetic (or otherwise engaging) characters, no compelling reason whatever to read this book. It is essentially a rambling tome about the author and his acquaintances drinking, traveling, talking...it's banality is absolutely stultifying. Yeah, yeah, I have heard all of the claptrap about how it broke new ground and the rest of the bloated claims, but in the final analysis, it is a boring book with no story to tell and nothing to recommend it. It is far more interesting as some symbol to a lost generation than a book. Buy it if you feel that you need some hip, pseudo intellectual credentials on your mantle, but spare yourself the agony of actually trying to read it.


Rated by buyers 5 out of 5 stars - In a Class by Itself
I mean, it's hard to write a review of something that people are stil trying to figure out exactly what it is, poem, novel, autobiography, jazz riff, all the above. It was great to see the unedited, unchanged version with original names and some relatively (to our times) tame sexual themata. I whizzed right through it trying to capture to wild ride Kerouac was on while writing this single paragraph tale of our age. When read alongside the more familiar version with paragraphs and quotations marks and pseudonyms, it was easy to see the power of the book and the overwhelming effect it must have had on readers when it very first came out, even if it was in the more muted version. I loved it.

It also doesn't seem like the kind of book which requires either a synopsis or a lengthy review. This is not the Count of Monte Cristo, let's face it. It is hard to say that the book has a real plot per se. But it shook a generation because of its immediacy and honesty and emotional power. Maybe Truman Capote didn't like it (he called it "typing" not writing). But this was something new and raw, and plenty of people didn't like Miles Davis either.


Rated by buyers 5 out of 5 stars - awesome read
this book was required reading when I was in high school, to be able to reread it with all the real people mentioned was a wonderful treat

see more

Find other books like this one:

 


Herbal Remedy Facial Psoriasis / Panic Attacks Help / Behind A Mask / The Beetle: A Mystery / Cars /
Wedding Announcement Wording Wizard Of Oz Museum Business Gifts Supplier Uk Sherlock Holmes Birthday Gifts Sherlock Holmes Hound Of The Baskervilles Unique Gift Islamic School Jungle Book Clipart Psoriasis Alternative Treatment Alice In Wonderland Quotes Wedding Gift For Bridesmaid

Home - Kids Books - Fairy Tales - Classics - Youth Fiction - Romance - Spy Novels - European Books - Pottery Books - Architecture Books - Comedy