Lot 179

Previous image preload Next image preload

Description:

Kerouac Personally Owned First Print "Myra Breckinridge", Estate Provenance and Legendary Significance


Little Brown And Company, 1968. Stated First Printing Hard cover. A very good hard cover in black cloth with two corner soft bumps. With the original nicked and chipped dust jacket, priced $5.95 to the front flap. Stamped on the half title page with both the Jack Kerouac Estate stamp, in addition to the raised blind seal from Executor of the Estate, John Sampas.


The background of both this book and it's author hold a bizarre legend that is off the literary radar, but appeared to be known amongst the Bohemian Best community. This somewhat ground breaking book by Gore Vidal was a satirical novel written in the form of a diary. Described as "part of a major cultural assault on the assumed norms of gender and sexuality which swept the western world in the late 1960s and early 1970s", the book's major themes are feminism, trans-sexuality, American expressions of machismo and patriarchy, and deviant sexual practices, as filtered through an aggressively camp sensibility. The controversial book is also "the first instance of a novel in which the main character undergoes a clinical sex-change". However, this story runs deeper as Kerouac and Vidal knew each other before "On The Road" was published, and what is known is that aside from the two mingling in the same circles, Vidal, Kerouac and William Burroughs hooked up one night in 1953 in Greenwich Village.

The three writers met at the San Remo bar the following year, after Burroughs return from Mexico. Vidal writes of Kerouac- “Hot night. Jack was manic. Sea captain’s hat. T-shirt. Like Marlon Brando in Streetcar. Drinking beer. Burroughs looked like a traveling salesman who had traveled too far in a wrinkled gray suit. He had published a good novel, Junkie under the name William Lee....Bill was quiet. Jack was loud. I suppose he was drunk." Burroughs asked about a Turkish bath in Rome that Vidal had described in "The Judgment of Paris". They moved on to Tony Pastor's, a lesbian bar, afterwards, Kerouac swung around a lamppost out front, a Tarzan routine that caused Burroughs to leave us in disgust. Vidal was ready to go back to his father's apartment uptown, but Kerouac had a different notion. The rest of the legend is "X" rated, however numerous accounts exist, and both authors were known have to written about that evening, Kerouac in this book "The Subterraneans", and Vidal in his book, "Palimpsest: A Memoir"

As for that night? The truth has been shrouded by time. But what we can say, is this is not just a regular hardback copy casually owned by Kerouac.


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

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, unless you inform us otherwise, immediately upon your receipt of invoice***

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 5 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 Westport, CT to the buyer's door. Please see full Terms and Conditions of Sale.

August 19, 2020 10:30 AM EDT
Wilton, CT, US

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