Jack Kerouac’s hand-drawn cover of On the Road (1952)

This falls into the category of “if you want it done right, you need to do it yourself.”

In 1950, Jack Kerouac Published his first novel, Towns and citiesHe was less than impressed with the book’s cover, created by publisher Harcourt Brace.click here In 1952, he began selling his second novel, The Beat Masterpiece. on the road, Kerouac designed the cover himself and sent it to potential publisher AA Winn, with a short note typed at the top:

Dear Winn:

I present this as an idea for an attractive commercial cover that represents the book. The cover of “The Town and the City” was as boring as the title and the back cover with the photo. My photo taken by Wilbur Pippin is perfect for On the Road. It looks like the face of the person below.

J.K.

Wynne turned the novel down, and it was not published until 1957. However, the novel became a best-seller and was published under various covers over the years. All on display here.

Click here to sign up for Open Culture’s free email newsletter, or follow our posts below: thread, Facebook, Blue Sky or Mastodon.

If you agree with Open Culture’s mission, Donate to this siteIt’s difficult to rely 100% on advertising. contribution Help us continue to provide the best free cultural and educational resources to learners around the world. Donate through PayPal. Patreonand Venmo (@openculture). Thank you!