Why Kerouac Matters

Do not click here expecting something about John Leland's book, Why Kerouac Matters: The Lessons of On The Road (They're Not What You Think). Instead, you'll find an interesting little article in The Globe and Mail that starts out thusly:

A friend of mine who owns a second-hand bookstore in Toronto claims he has to keep his Jack Kerouac titles behind the counter, and not on the shelves with the rest of his stock, for fear of teenage shoplifters. Forget the Pulitzer or the Giller Prize; this is real writerly fame. 

Not that the majority of these thieving literary neophytes are attracted by the contents of the books themselves; what compels them to apply a five-finger discount to On the Road and The Dharma Bums is the author himself.

Love that picture of Jack!

Enjoy . . . .