Jack Kerouac's On The Road: A Penguin Books Amplified Edition Brought to Life on the iPad
The legendary Beat novel from the postwar prophet of American literature—now on the iPad with exclusive content for an absorbing and transformative experience
NEW YORK, June 20, 2011 /PRNewswire/ -- Pulsating with the rhythms of jazz, frenetic sex, illicit drugs, and the mystery and promise of the open road, On the Road defined what it meant to be "beat" and captured the impulses of a liberated underground America. Based on Jack Kerouac's adventures with Neal Cassady, On the Road tells the story of two friends crossing the country in search of a new kind of experience and authenticity that they could not find in mainstream culture. It has become a landmark in the history of American culture, inspiring everyone from John Updike and Joyce Carol Oates to Bob Dylan and David Bowie. Expressing a quintessential American vision of freedom and longing, On the Road is a timeless tale that resonates with each new generation. Penguin is proud to introduce the celebrated Beat novel, JACK KEROUAC'S ON THE ROAD (On-sale date: June 18, 2011; $16.99; Introductory Price: $12.99 through July 5, 2011) as an iPad app.
With the complete text of the original 1957 novel at its heart, this edition has been curated by Penguin editors, the Kerouac estate, and Beat scholars. It includes a number of spectacular features that immerse readers in the story behind the book. Highlights include:
- Fully interactive map of the now legendary trips from 1947, 1949, and 1950 taken by Dean and Sal in the book, with historical photographs and notes on the contemporary context
- Prized family photographs from Kerouac's estate, a number published here for the first time
- Rare audio clips of Kerouac himself reading three excerpts from an early draft
- Reproductions of Kerouac's first draft of the novel on the 120-foot scroll as well as later typescripts with corrections made by him and his editors
- Previously unreleased documents from the Viking archives that contain the earliest reactions to the manuscript and letters between Kerouac and his editors about its revision
- Side-by-side comparisons of Kerouac's famous original scroll draft and the published text, highlighting the editorial work that went into his masterpiece as well as the elements removed on the recommendation of Viking's lawyers—including some of Kerouac's most explicit treatments of sex, drug use, and other "obscenities"
- Slideshow of cover art from international editions of On the Road over the last half century
2011 is the 65th anniversary of Penguin Classics and we know that what you read matters, but we also recognize that how you read is becoming increasingly important. Continuing Penguin's tradition of topnotch editorial curation and design, we've harnessed current technology to create an innovative showcase for one of our most treasured titles.
Decades after its 1957 publication, readers are still forging connections to this classic novel and the timeless emotions it evokes. We are pleased to share this latest evolution of Jack Kerouac's seminal work, one that lets Beat novices and aficionados alike experience On The Road as never before.
JACK KEROUAC'S ON THE ROAD: A PENGUIN BOOKS AMPLIFIED EDITION
On-sale date: June 18, 2011
$16.99; Introductory Price: $12.99 through July 5, 2011
For complete list of features for this iPad app, click here.
For a video demonstration of the app, click here.
The following high resolution images are available by email (by request) or they can be viewed / downloaded online.
Click here for the cover of Jack Kerouac's On The Road (A Penguin Books Amplified Edition).
The following screen shots from the app are also available:
"Tricked out with more fancy bells and whistles than a BMW M5 … The notes embedded in the text give a helpful run-down of the real-life people and places behind the novel, with photographs that deepen the period flavor … It's also hard to resist the cool interactive map comparing the routes of Kerouac's own three cross-country road trips, garlanded with corresponding passages from … this most freewheeling of American novels."
—The New York Times
"If any release could blow the e-book door open, it might as well be a story of American transformation, unease and reckless abandon … [and] tattered pages, over-saturated photos and scrawled text look the part … As readers pore over Kerouac's text and make sense of which fictional name matches up with each real-life icon of the Beat generation, Penguin one-ups its e-reading competition by employing a far more seamless 'footnote' feature … This photo filled app [is] richly designed by a team that knows its Kerouac."
—The Daily
SOURCE Penguin Books
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