KEROUAC, Jack (1922-1969). On the Road. New York: The Viking Press, 1957. FIRST EDITION of arguably the most important post-war American novel. IN THE FIRST STATE DUST JACKET with ?$3.95? price and red and blue stripes on rear panel. In On the Road, drugs, alcohol, and tobacco are prevalent in nearly every scene and are used by Kerouac to draw connections between intense drug use and wisdom. This core ideology of drug use and subsequent experiences while under the influence used by the Beat Generation defied social constructs and were employed to draw parallels between characters Sal Paradise (drug user) and a sober Dean Moriarty as they embarked on a journey through post-war America. Kerouac, also a heavy drug user, wrote On the Road in a partially autobiographical point of view as he was known to undertake long writing sessions with the aid of Benzedrine, nicotine, and caffeine. Charters A2. A Horowitz high spot.