New York: Grove Press, Inc., 1966. First edition. Inscribed on the upper free endpaper: “Jack Kerouac gives this copy to Judge Phillipe Boudreau.” Judge Boudreau officiated Kerouac’s wedding to Stella Sampas, which was rushed to allow the author’s aging mother to attend the ceremony. A Near Fine copy in like dust jacket. The book has a faint dampstain on the front and rear endpapers, no other leaves affected. Dust jacket is very bright with just a bit of toning at the extremities. Overall a very attractive copy.

This autobiographical novella recounts Jack Kerouac's solo travels in Paris and Brittany while researching his French-Canadian heritage: “As in an earlier autobiographical book I'll use my real name here,” Kerouac writes, “full name in this case, Jean-Louis Lebris de Kerouac, because this story is about my search for this name in France.” Kerouac undertook his French excursion at the age of forty-three and published his account the next year, making this the penultimate book published during his lifetime. Near Fine in Near Fine dust jacket. (Item #7748)