When I was in graduate school, I had collected the various novels/books in the Legend of Duluoz. Some of the books weren’t in print at the time, and so getting them required a lot of trips to used bookstores across the Northwest. Alas, when I left graduate school and was preparing to store some of my belongings with my parents, the box that contained the Kerouac collection never arrived. When I got settled in the Northeast after Japan, I thought about the loss every now and again. I couldn’t afford replacing those books at the time–and with two kids, it’s hard to justify it now–so I didn’t make the effort. Since then, all the books have returned to being in print (and two are even movies!), and at the bookstore today on my way back to the office from my haircut, I saw a remaindered copy of Jack Kerouac: Collected Poems. And so the temptation returns. Should I or should I not?
I have a mixed relationship with the Beats in general, but Kerouac is my favorite. Currently, my shelf has the Viking Portable Kerouac, and I enjoy flipping through it regularly, stopping here and there reading a few paragraphs or pages. But I also wonder if I’m getting too old for it.
In any case, all the books are available on Nook (that’s what I have) except Desolation Angels. I guess I’ll mull it over more.
