Charters, Ann; Burroughs, William S.; Ginsberg, Allen; Huncke, Herbert; Kerouac, Jack et al.

Scenes Along the Road

New York, NY: Portents / Gotham Book Mart, 1970. First Printing. Softcover. Signed by Ann Charters to Robert Hawley, co-founder (with Stevens van Strum) of Berkeley's Oyez Press. "SCENES ALONG THE ROAD is a collection of snapshots of a group of men before they became, as Jack Kerouac put it, "famous writers more or less." In the 1940s and early 1950s, when most of the snapshots were taken, they were known only to each other, and these photos are candid shots they took to capture the private moments of their life and experience together." (from introduction, pg. 7) This historic volume is the earliest compilation of images that have since become iconic & reproduced in many Beat-related publications & exhibits. William S. Burroughs, Allen Ginsberg, Jack Kerouac, Herbert Huncke & Co. are candidly depicted at the dawn & later height of the Beat Generation. Compiled by Ann Charters, Kerouac's first biographer & bibliographer, among the very foremost Beat critical scholars. With three poems & commentary by Ginsberg, a Founding Father of the Beats, who originally took many of these photographs. Co-published by Portents, the imprint of Samuel Charters, the late husband of & collaborator with Ann Charters; & the Gotham Book Mart, in conjunction with the fiftieth anniversary (1920-1970) of that venerable, now long-defunct NYC bookselling institution. Trade-format softcover in sewn binding, one of a total edition of 2000 of which 1750 were softcovers as here, per colophon. Morgan, B71(a)3, pg. 140. A classic, essential Beat Generation collectible in its third-rarest original form. This copy is additionally signed by Charters to the co-founder of Oyez Press, Robert Hawley, in the year of publication. Charters’ signature, in thin black pen ink, reads: “For Robert Hawley — / Best regards, / Ann Charters / 9/20/70.” In Very Good condition with only mild-to-enunciated shelf-wear, age-toning, light scuffing, chipping, chip-scuffing, bumping & some bump-creasing to fine-edges & corners of front, back covers & spine-edge; moderate-to-enunciated rubbing to same at select locales, otherwise clean. Very Good. [Item #6861]

Price: $100.00