Various (Morton, James (Editor); Anstee, Rod; Barth, Daniel; Bow, Stephen; Burns, Jim; Challis, Chris; Cunliffe, Dave; Donay, Marc; Dowden, Kaviraj George; French, Warren; Holstad, Scott C.; Ginsberg, Allen; Grierson, Tom; Gruntz, George; Kerouac, Jack; Montgomery, John; Moore, Dave; Nicosia, Gerald; Pollock, Michael Dean; Widgery, Dave; Wilkes, Graham C.)

The Kerouac Connection No. 24 (Winter 1992)

Glasgow, Scotland: The Kerouac Connection, 1992. First Printing. Stapled Wrappers. “I met John Montgomery 15 years ago, and had the time of my life riding around in his bumpy old truck doing interviews all over Marin County for my biography of Jack Kerouac, ‘Memory Babe.’ John was an essential guide for me. He gave me names and addresses I could never have gotten elsewhere, and often he was an entree into Beat circles in which I would otherwise have met with a cool, not to say suspicious reception. At other times his crazy talkativeness got in the way, and people — like painter Robert LaVigne — chased me away because I was with him. But the friendship of John Montgomery — well, in the end it was worth the trouble and sometimes madness that came with it. He was a special person, a real poet, a genuine eccentric – a man of his own making.” (Gerald Nicosia, “In Memoriam,” pg. 29). Your Devoted Curators here at TMB note that the guiding editorial hand in this issue is no longer TKC’s Dave Moore, who we are so used to naming in our “Kerouac Connection” curations as the founder-&-editor of this beloved Beat periodical. Instead, it is James Morton — a consistent contributor throughout the years of TKC’s existence and a clear-eyed circumnavigator for all things Beat. As noted in the title of this listing, the Winter ’92 issue of TKC focuses, loosely on the life and literary-scholastic influence of John Montgomery (1919-1992), Kerouac confidante and character in several of Jack’s novels. These later issues of TKC are so flush with contributions that providing a full list of contributors-&-contributions seems more unwieldy and laborious each time. Here, we’ll opt for the provision of an abbreviated contributor list that mirrors the ‘author field’ of this curation — but encourage you to view the photos attached to this listing to see more. Without further ado, the [necessarily abridged] contents page: [1] “Atop an Underwood” by James Morton; [2] “Poems” by Stephan Ronan, Jim Burns, and Kaviraj George Dowden; [3] “Thomas Wolfe and Jack Kerouac,’ by Daniel Barth; [4] “The Matriarch of the Beats” by Warren French; [5] “In Memoriam – John Montgomery” by Gerald Nicosia; [5] “Another Kerouac Sighting,” also by Barth; [6] “Some British Beat History: 13” by Dave Cunliffe & much, much more. From the collection of Kevin Ring, publisher of Beat Scene magazine & other indispensable productions (many available here), & our good friend. In very fine condition with only very slight rubbing to front cover, mild-to-moderate rubbing to back cover nearest spine & stapled spine; a few tiny bumps & short, faint creases at thin edges & corners of same. Fine. [Item #5690]

Price: $30.00