Lot 367

Previous image preload Next image preload

Description:

Jack Kerouac is On the Road Again to Denver

A typed postcard addressed to Kerouac's longtime friend Ed White, who appears in the novel On the Road as "Tim Gray", signed "Jack" at conclusion in blue pen. Within, he discusses plans for a cross-country road trip from Florida to Denver as well as the death of his beloved older sister, Caroline (nicknamed Nin) less than a month before. The letter's melancholy ending is intoned, "Sir, time eats." The postcard has been stamped from Saint Petersburg, Florida on October 16, 1964 and measures 5.5" x 3.25" overall. Minor smudging present from rubber stamp along top edge, otherwise near fine. An emotional look at the Kerouac's familial relationships.

In full, with original punctuation maintained:

"Cher Edouard
Now planning car trip from here thru Denver to Coast short time after New Years. So I'll be seeing you around January 1965 in town. Traveling with a new friend, college student. We will consolidate shack plans, open a bom or two, see Justin [Brierly] etc. Have Florida house all built and ready to move now in few weeks. No address yet. Is not dreary subdivision but fronts the back of a lush millionaire back estate forest and I has [sic] 8 tall pine trees and I can walk to stores and really fine && cheap
…First things first I told you last time, but death of my sister Nin (46) has thrown me off in past month. Anon, sir, our rendezvous in Denver-town, and so, write meanwhile. Sir, time eats.
Jack"

On September 19, 1964, Caroline "Nin" Kerouac Blake passed away unexpectedly of a heart attack, leaving her surviving family distraught. Jack, who later couldn't bring himself to attend her funeral, grieved heavily for his sister. Between 1955 and 1956, he would live on and off with Nin and her husband, Paul Blake, at their home outside of Rocky Mountain, NC where he wrote Some of the Dharma, a semi-autobiographical, although posthumously published, treatise on Buddhism. Indeed, the last years of Kerouac's life was marked by great loss, with the death of his mother in 1966 and his close friend, fellow Beat figure Neal Cassady in 1968.

This item comes with a Certificate from John Reznikoff, a premier authenticator for both major 3rd party authentication services, PSA and JSA (James Spence Authentications), as well as numerous auction houses.

WE PROVIDE IN-HOUSE SHIPPING WORLDWIDE!  

Accepted Forms of Payment:

American Express, Discover, MasterCard, Money Order / Cashiers Check, Paypal, Personal Check, Visa, Wire Transfer

Shipping

Unless otherwise indicated, we do our own in-house worldwide shipping!

Applicable shipping and handling charges will be added to the invoice. We offer several shipping options, and remain one of the few auction houses who proudly provides professional in-house shipping as an option to our clients. All items will ship with signature required, and full insurance. Most items are sent via Federal Express, with P. O. Box addresses being sent through USPS. We insure through Berkley Asset Protection with rates of $.70 per $100 of value, among the lowest insurance rates in the industry. Our shipping department cameras document every package, both outgoing and incoming, for maximum security. In addition, we compare our shipping and handling rates against those of other auction houses, to ensure that our charges are among the lowest in the trade.

Upon winning your item(s), you will receive an invoice with our in-house shipping and handling fees included. ***We will ship to the address as it appears on your invoice. If any changes to the shipping address need to be made, you must inform us immediately.***

International shipments: In order to comply with our insurance provider, all international shipments will be sent via Fed Ex and customs paperwork will show a value of $1.00. International buyers should contact our office directly with any questions regarding this policy.

Third Party Shipping Option: If a third party shipper is preferred, the buyer is responsible for contacting them directly to make shipping arrangements. For your convenience, we have provided some recommended shippers. For your protection, we will require a signed release from you, confirming your authorization for us to release your lots to your specified third party Please copy and paste this following link into your browser: http://universityarchives.com/UserFiles/ShippingInfo.pdf. At that point, our responsibility and insurance coverage for your item(s) ceases. Items picked up by third party shippers are required to pay Connecticut sales tax. Items requiring third party shipping due to being oversized, fragile or bulky will be denoted in the item description.

Please see our full terms and conditions for names of suggested third party shippers.

After payment has been made in full, University Archives will ship your purchase within 10 business days following receipt of full payment for item.

Please remember that the buyer is responsible for all shipping costs from University Archives' offices in Wilton, CT to the buyer's door. Please see full Terms and Conditions of Sale.

University Archives

You agree to pay a buyer's premium of up to 25% and any applicable taxes and shipping.

View full terms and conditions

Bid Increments
From: To: Increments:
$0 $99 $10
$100 $299 $20
$300 $499 $25
$500 $999 $50
$1,000 $1,999 $100
$2,000 $2,999 $200
$3,000 $4,999 $250
$5,000 $9,999 $500
$10,000 $19,999 $1,000
$20,000 $49,999 $2,500
$50,000 + $5,000