Various (Agee, James; Allsop, Kenneth; Burns, Jim; Cru, Henri; Cunliffe, Dave; Floyd, Tony; Labate, Lillian; Lykiard, Alexis; Moore, Dave; Morris, Richard; Small, Will; Stephenson, Gregory et al.)

The Kerouac Connection No. 13 (Spring 1987)

Bristol, England: The Kerouac Connection, 1987. First Printing. Stapled Wrappers. “Yes, Jack [Kerouac] came to Horace Mann in 1939 from Lowell, Mass as a ringer, to play football. It was a very expensive school with an excellent scholastic reputation. Jack and the rest of the football team got a big discount on their tuition, because they enhanced the school’s football reputation….He was short but built like a weight-lifter. He was also fast, and held his own with the big boys….He wasn’t the best player on the team, but he was better than any player that was rated second…..I believe that deep inside Jack wanted to become a real Frenchman, and he struck up a real long-lasting friendship with me” (pg. 4, from “The Henri Cru Interview”). Subtitled a “Beat Brotherhood Newsletter,” here we have the elusive thirteenth issue of “The Kerouac Connection,” Dave Moore’s charming Jack Kerouac-focused periodical. As the graphic on the issue’s front cover promises, among this issue’s many gems is Moore’s “Henri Cru Interview,” a valuable resource unto itself with regard to the misty, pre-fame 1940s coalescing of the Beat Generation’s major figures (or “The Daddies,” as Gregory Corso liked to call them). Other features particularly favored by Your Devoted Managing Curator include Richard Morris’ “James Agee” feature, a 3 ¼ page essay on the lauded co-author of “Let Us Now Praise Famous Men,” and — most importantly to YDMC — the screenwriter for the 1955 Noir Classic, “Night of the Hunter.” Contents list, in full, reads as follows: [1] “An Interview with Henri Cru,” by Dave Moore; [2] “History of the Cru Family,” by Yvonne C. Perkins;’ [3] Poems by Alexis Lykiard & Will Small; [4] “The Beat Generation,” by Kenneth Allsop; [5] “Some British Beat History: Part 3,” by Dave Cunliffe; [6] “Letter,” also by Cunliffe; [7] “James Agee,” by Richard Morris; [8] “The Restless Writers,” by Lillian Labate; [9] “Film Review” (of Bertrand Tavernier’s ‘Round Midnight), by Tony Floyd; [10] “Book Reviews” by Steven Moore, John Dunton, Gregory Stephenson [Our friend-&-colleague at the European Beat Studies Network (EBSN.eu), and Jim Burns; [11] Notes on Contributors; and [12] the ever-present “News” section. Small-format literary magazine-journal in stapled wrappers: the first and only printing of this Kerouac-themed periodical. From the collection of Kevin Ring, publisher of Beat Scene magazine & other indispensable productions (many available here), & our good friend. In strong near fine condition with only minute shelf-wear, age-toning & light bumping to fine-edges & corners of front, back covers & spine-edge; hushed pronouncements of rusting, bleeding to staples, & accompanying slight flecks of bleeding at/near/orbiting same; two notational instances, the first being an inscription in thin, black pen ink reading “See p. 20” which is orbited by a red circle in thin, felt pen ink; the second of which is a bracketing (two 1-2 cm lines in thin, black pen ink [the same used for the “See p. 20” notation earlier described], & the second of which featuring a small scholastic notation “4/11” along the left margin; else pristine. Near Fine. [Item #5457]

Price: $25.00