In 1952, Jack Kerouac was shopping On The Road to publishers and instead of just pitching the text, Kerouac also included his own sketched vision for the book’s cover.
Kerouac typed a note to potential publisher A.A. Wyn in the corner of his drawing explaining the concept:
Dear Mr. Wyn:
I submit this as my idea of an appealing commercial cover expressive of the book. The cover for “The Town and the City” was as dull as the title and the photo backflap. Wilbur Pippin’s photo of me is the perfect On the Road one … it will look like the face of the figure below.
J.K.
Wyn rejected the text and the cover idea. The book would not find a publisher until 1957 when it went on to become one of the most celebrated novels of the 20th century.
Flip through the gallery below for other versions of the On The Road cover, including a Ukrainian version that somehow slipped past the Jack Daniels lawyers.
[nggallery id=6897]