Item #80 in my Kerouac bookshelf curation project is this paperback 2015 City Lights Books (no printing number) copy of Bill Morgan's The Beats Abroad: A Global Guide to the Beat Generation. It's 298 pages, 4-3/8" x 8-3/8", and in very good condition. The provenance is Amazon.
As with the other three Bill Morgan tour guides we've curated (one for NYC, one for the U.S., and one for San Francisco), this book is chock full of detailed information on the Beats relevant to places -- in this case, around the world -- they lived and played and wrote. It's divided into 9 sections from France and Mediterranean Europe to Latin America and the Caribbean. Although not set up as a walking tour, there's enough information in some instances to find exact sites. In others instances, only a city is identified with no street address details.
There is a brief introduction, a bibliography, and a helpful index. I bought this book in advance of going to Europe last September but ended up not taking it with me for the sake of weight (we were trying to fly with just carry-ons), but I did use it in advance to confirm the location of a couple of spots we visited in Paris (The Beat Hotel and Shakespeare and Company). After the fact, I learned from the book that a great place we saw some wonderful jazz -- the Caveau de la Huchette in Paris -- was frequented by Allen Ginsberg, who went there with Alan Ansen looking to pick up men.
Like Morgan's other guides, this is a handy reference to have on hand while traveling as well as an enjoyable read at home. Highly recommended.
Below is a picture of Shelf #2 of my Kerouac bookshelf showing the placement of this book (sideways on top of the row) on the day I started curating my collection. Next up: Departed Angels: The Lost Paintings by Jack Kerouac, text by Ed Adler.
 |
Shelf #2 of my Kerouac bookshelf
|
No comments:
Post a Comment