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Jack Kerouac On the Road Manuscript Scroll

Jack Kerouac wrote his novel On the Road in a unique fashion - he typed it on a continous roll of paper, without paragraph breaks, in a marathon writing session in 1951. It is somewhat different than the version which was published in 1957. Finally, the original version has been published.

The scroll was auctioned in 2004; Indianapolis Colts owner & Beat Generation afficionado Jim Irsay was the buyer. He has since had the scroll restored, and has sent it on tour.

On the Road: The Original Scroll

On the Road: Original Scroll The novel has been published as it first was written on the scroll. Yes, it is in book form - not actually on a scroll! But it lacks text breaks (such as paragraphs or chapters), includes real names rather than aliases, and is somewhat longer than the version published in 1957.

What has been published is the original draft; it's publication has been 50 years in the making.

The book is available at your local bookstore; it can also be bought at a substantial discount at Amazon.com. Just click the book cover at left to go there.

The Scroll Goes on Tour

The scroll has been travelling the United States since January 2004.

You can get more info at OnTheRoad.org, the scroll's official website.

Here are some photos:
Jim Irsay and the On the Road scroll
close-up of the On the Road scroll

The Jack Kerouac "On the Road" Scroll Auction

The hammer price for Jack Kerouac's "On the Road" scroll was $2,200,000.
(This figure does not include the buyer's premium.)
The sales price exceeds the pre-auction estimate of $1,000,000 - $1,500,000.

The scroll's buyer was Jim Irsay, owner of the Indianapolis Colts football team, who may exhibit the scroll in an Indianapolis museum.

Background

Jack Kerouac's original typewritten manuscript scroll for "On the Road" was auctioned by Christie's on May 22, 2001 on behalf of some of the heirs to Jack Kerouac's estate, at a starting bid of one million dollars.

There was a public outcry against the auction by various writers, Beat scholars, and others who felt that the best place for the scroll would be the New York Public Library or another public institution where it would be available for study, rather than the collection of a private individual. Fortunately, the scroll was purchased by Jim Irsay, owner of the Indianapolis Colts, who recognizes the importance of the scroll and has said that he's committed to preserving it and will send it on tour. It will likely be made available for study as well.

Links

The first set of links below are news stories detailing the scroll's history and impending auction. The second set are post-auction updates. Finally, I've provided links to some sites offering background and perspective on the scroll's auction.

If you know of any other scroll-related links, please email me.

Pre-Auction News

The New York Times, March 22, 2001, by Kathryn Shattuck
CNN, March 26, 2001, by Shannon Troetel
New York Times, April 4, 2001, Op-Ed piece on the importance
of preserving literary archives, by Ammiel Alcalay

The Guardian, April 5, 2001, by John Ezard
Everett Herald, April 15, 2001, by Julie Muhlstein
San Francisco Chronicle, May 9, 2001, by David Kipen
San Francisco Chronicle, May 11, 2001, by David Kipen
San Francisco Chronicle, May 15, 2001, by Jonathan Fowler, Associated Press

Post-Auction News & Opinion:

San Francisco Chronicle, January 14, 2004
Lowell Sun
AP, by Richard Pyle, in the San Francisco Chronicle, May 22, 2001
Laura Lynch's report for CBC Radio, May 22, 2001(audio, for RealPlayer or QuickTime)
New York Times, May 23, 2001
Brian Hassett's article on the scroll, on About.com's poetry site.
A short piece on the auction on Ken Kesey's website.
A short article on the scroll auction at BeatAngel.com,
site for the upcoming Beat movie, which features the scroll as a "character."

General Information & Opinion:

Gerald Nicosia's take on the situation.
James Eimont recalls his pilgrimage to view the scroll at Christie's.
Photo of the scroll.


Other Kerouac resources on this site:

Cut-Up (The Stolen Scroll) by Bill Ectric (fiction about the scroll) Jack Kerouac books for sale
Real names and their aliases, alphabetically
Aliases & their real-life counterparts, alphabetically
Kerouac's books - a brief bibliography, ordered by publication date
Kerouac's books - a brief bibliography, ordered by date written
Kerouac's books - the Duluoz legend
Brief Beat Generation biographies
Other Beat Generation online bibliographies