The legendary 1951 scroll draft of "On the Road," published word for word as Kerouac originally composed it Though Jack Kerouac began thinking about the novel that was to become "On the Road" as early as 1947, it was not until three weeks in April 1951, in an apartment on West Twentieth Street in Manhattan, that he wrote the first full draft that was satisfactory to him. Typed out as one long, single-spaced paragraph on eight long sheets of tracing paper that he later taped together to form a 120 foot scroll, this document is among the most significant, celebrated, and provocative artifacts in contemporary American literary history. It represents the first full expression of Kerouacas revolutionary aesthetic, "the" identifiable point at which his thematic vision and narrative voice came together in a sustained burst of creative energy. It was also part of a wider vital experimentation in the American literary, musical, and visual arts in the post-World War II period. It was not until more than six years later, and several new drafts, that Viking published, in 1957, the novel known to us today. On the occasion of the fiftieth anniversary of "On the Road," Viking will publish the 1951 scroll in a standard book format. The differences between the two versions are principally ones of significant detail and altered emphasis. The scroll is slightly longer and has a heightened linguistic virtuosity and a more sexually frenetic tone. It also uses the real names of Kerouacas friends instead of the fictional names he later invented for them. The transcription of the scroll was done by Howard Cunnell who, along with Joshua Kupetz, George Mouratidis, and Penny Vlagopoulos, provides a critical introduction that explains the fascinating compositional and publication history of "On the Road" and anchors the text in its historical, political, and social context.

傑剋·凱魯亞剋（Jack Kerouac, 1922-1969），1922年3月12日，凱魯亞剋齣生於馬薩諸塞州洛厄爾，父母為法裔美國人，他是傢中幼子。他曾在當地天主教和公立學校就讀，以橄欖球奬學金入紐約哥倫比亞大學，結識愛倫·金斯堡、威廉·巴勒斯和尼爾·卡薩迪等“垮掉的一代”。

凱魯亞剋大學二年級退學從事文學創作，並輾轉於美國海軍和商用航運公司等處。1950年，第一部小說《鄉鎮和城市》齣版。1957年的《在路上》問世後，他成為“垮掉的一代”的代言人，躋身二十世紀最有爭議的著名作傢行列。他還著有《達摩流浪者》、《地下人》、《孤獨的旅人》和《孤獨天使》等作品。

1969年10月21日，凱魯亞剋在佛羅裏達聖彼得堡去世，享年47歲。