PBA Galleries

With a slip of card stock paper tipped in at front free endpaper, that has been inscribed by the author, "I'm sorry, but I never give auto-grafs. Ken Kesey 1986." The first issue, with "that fool Red Cross woman" on p. 9, lines 12-13. First issue jacket contains the five-word Kerouac "blurb" on the front flap. Kesey refers to page 86 in the inscription, which contains a sentence (actually beginning on page 85), unchanged from the original manuscript: "It's the plump Red Cross woman named Gwen-doe-lin, with the blond hair the patients are always arguing about...." A classic of late twentieth century literature, this is Kesey's masterpiece and first published book. Inspired by his experiences working the night shift in a mental ward while experimenting with hallucinogens, would later become the basis for the 1975 film starring Jack Nicholson, which earned five Academy Awards, including best picture and best actor.