Jack Kerouac: Road Novels 1957-1960: On the Road / The Dharma Bums / The Subterraneans / Tristessa / Lonesome Traveler / Journal Selections (Library of America)

Most people know Kerouac for "On the Road", and rightly so, due to its groundbreaking clarity and insight into the generation, the movement, and the lifestyle of the Beatnik. It is an incredible book, and after reading it I was immediately hooked on to Kerouac and needed to find more. I myself would place my spirit in the "free willed" section, meaning that I can really appreciate and relate to not only the characters that Kerouac writes so fondly of, but also the way Kerouac himself thinks and writes, an of-the-moment style all his own. This collection of novels has sent me down an incredibly exciting rabbit hole of Kerouac, and I loathe the day I will complete it. Housing not only "On the Road", but also lesser known and shorter works such as "The Subterraneans" (which I am currently reading through), this book is a marvelous testament to Kerouac's style and his passion for freedom and goodwill. For any fan of "On the Road" who wants to read more and get to know Kerouac better, this is the perfect book at a perfect price. There is simply so much material in this book that even though it is small, flipping through it I come across a daunting amount of novel that I am eager to attack. To my surprise, now that I have been exposed to Kerouac's other works, I've found that I almost enjoy his other works better than "On the Road" (such as "The Dharma Bums", a wonderful spiritual journey through the forests of the West Coast). If it was not clear before, I am a huge fan of Kerouac and this book has allowed that love to grow tremendously through being such an easy resource of his work. This will be a treasured book on my bookshelf for many years to come, and I hope to be able to lend it to others who will appreciate its sweeping scope as well.

2007 was in many ways an interesting year. For one it marks the 50th anniversary of the publication of first of Jack Kerouac's so-called road novels, the seminal "On the Road."This book is one of many commemorating that event, but is one the better selections because it contains four of Kerouac's best known road books along with his lesser known "Lonesome Traveler" and relevant selections from the journal that he kept throughout his life. "On the Road" was an instant best seller for Kerouac, yet is it is a strange book in many ways. Like all of Kerouac's novels it is a slightly fictionalized autobiography. It concern's a period in his life when he became infatuated with Neil Cassidy (Dean Moriarty) and the search for something never fully defined. Much like the recent hit comedy, "Seinfeld", nothing really happens in this novel. Yet it is a fascinating read because it is filled with touching, funny, or bizarre events that are interesting perhaps because they lead nowhere. This set the pattern for the whole road novel series. These novels also reflect and describe the anomie felt by Kerouac till the day of his death. Some maintain that the third novel in this series "The Subterraneans" is the best, but this is debatable. It also is claimed that the so-called `beat generation' was spawned by the first novel of the series. This is nonsense. "On the Road" actually refers to events that happened ten years before its publication in 1947-48. In the aftermath of WWII most veterans were using GI benefits to build stable and prosperous post war lives for themselves A rather smaller and often younger group whose lives were disrupted by the war in one way or another or who simply had trouble fitting into post war society chose to step back from the general prosperity and consumerism that was characteristic of the 1950's and early 1960's. The members of this group could be mostly found in the cities living modestly, working at subsistence level jobs and searching for answers to unknown questions. Rather like the characters in the road series novels. "On the Road" struck such a responsive chord because it was the first novel to really describe this group and give its members a collective name, the `Beat Generation." It also brought on the"beatniks" as they became known in the late fifties a good deal of unwanted media attention. Rather oddly two French writers, Jean Paul Sarte and Albert Camus were catapulted into fame as providing the underlying philosophy for what was called the beat movement. Both men were no doubt puzzled and amused by this. Every few years this reviewer rereads these road novels and always finds some new thought. If nothing else Kerouac reminds us that an unreflective life is not worth living.

Amazing.

10/10 would recommend

Great up with Jack. Great to reimmerse myself in his worldview in 2024

I began an interest in the writings of Jack Kerouac and this book holds his most well-known works. My only misgiving is that the paper for the pages is so thin, it's hard to turn the pages (trivial I know, but annoying). But, I figure if thicker paper were used, the book would not be quite so "portable" . . . guess I ought to buy a Kindle!

Thanks

Love that there are five books in one. Hard to believe that the book is small and contains five stories. Love the hardback and thin pages. Kerouac is such a great writer I could read his stuff again and again.

Best binding & paper and cool collection of his novels. Almost one stop book for Jack Kerouac.

Great book

La LOA(qui republie des grands classiques américains) offre des livre sur papier bible, avec tranche-file, et très belle reliure: un bel écrin pour un auteur mythique.

Bem embalado

On the Road is a favourite of mine. The great novel of the beat generation. The Library of America has also included another great Kerouac work - Dharma Bums. The price was great - under $25 for a nice hardcover addition and the collection also contains two other Kerouac novels. On the Road is a semi autobiographical novel about Jack Kerouac (Sal Paradise) and Neal Cassady ( Dean Moriarty). I particularly liked the chronology and notes sections which gave insight into the life of Mr. Kerouac and helped to identify some of the other characters in On the Road. If you are thinking about purchasing On the Road consider this edition - for a few dollars more you get a lot more.