On the Road first edition makes $34,000

A rare Jack Kerouac-inscribed first edition presentation copy of seminal beat novel On the Road has auctioned in London for £22,500 ($33,972).

The slim volume, which boasts its original dust jacket, was a gift from Kerouac to his cousin Harvey's wife, Doris.

The iconoclastic author has scrawled the typically truncated message: "To Doris / Great party! / Jack Kerouac".

On the Road auction
Kerouac typed On the Road between 1947 and 1951 on a single scroll of paper. The original scroll was bought in 2001 by American football magnate Jim Irsay for $2.43m

Sotheby's asserts: "With one exception, Kerouac did not undertake promotional signings for his work, so inscribed copies of his books are comparatively rare."

The book sold on July 10, as part of Sotheby's English Literature, History, Children's Books and Illustrations sale, alongside three original EH Shepard Winnie-the-Pooh illustrations and Samuel Beckett's prized Murphy manuscript.

We currently have this EH Shepard Winnie-the-Pooh drawing in stock.

Sign up for our free weekly newsletter.

Featured products

Elvis Presley Authentic Strand of Hair
Elvis Presley Authentic Strand of Hair
Sale price£399
In stock
Fidel Castro signed certificateFidel Castro Signed Certificate
Fidel Castro signed certificate
Sale price£2,995
In stock
King Henry VIII Autographed DocumentKing Henry VIII Autographed Document
King Henry VIII Autographed Document
Sale price£55,000
In stock