{"product_id":"tristessa-jack-kerouac-1st-uk-paperback-edition","title":"Tristessa, Jack Kerouac — 1st UK Paperback Edition","description":"\u003cp\u003e\u003cb\u003ePublication:\u003c\/b\u003e Manchester, World Distributors (Manchester) Ltd, 1963\u003c\/p\u003e\n\u003cp\u003e\u003cb\u003eFormatting:\u003c\/b\u003e 12mo, original pictorial wrappers, pagination unverified from photographs.\u003c\/p\u003e\n\u003cp\u003e\u003cb\u003eCondition Report:\u003c\/b\u003e Very Good. The original pictorial wrappers remain bright and entirely unrestored, displaying excellent colour retention on the front panel with only very light rubbing to the extremities and a faint, superficial handling line. The spine remains square and completely unbroken by reading creases, a rarity for this fragile paperback edition, though it shows minor rubbing at the head and tail. The binding is remarkably tight, holding the text block firmly without the splitting often endemic to these Consul editions. Internally, the pages exhibit the expected even, uniform toning characteristic of the period's acidic paper stock, but remain entirely free of foxing, dog-ears, or internal markings, presenting a remarkably crisp and clean example overall.\u003c\/p\u003e\n\u003cp\u003e\u003cb\u003eCatalogue Note:\u003c\/b\u003e First UK Edition, Paperback Issue (Consul Books #1235). This 1963 printing represents the true first British appearance of Kerouac's haunting novella. The copyright page notably contains a well-documented bibliographic idiosyncrasy: it erroneously states that the book was originally published in Great Britain by Andre Deutsch. In reality, the Deutsch hardcover edition did not appear until the following year, 1964, effectively making this Consul paperback the true first UK edition.\u003c\/p\u003e\n\u003cp\u003eHandling this Manchester-published edition is a particularly nice addition to a Northern-based rare book inventory. This specific edition, bearing the distinctive \"3\/6\" price roundel and striking cover art, is increasingly scarce on the open market in such well-preserved condition, as the fragile bindings and cheap paper stock typically resulted in heavy attrition over the decades.\u003c\/p\u003e\n\u003cp\u003eSet against the gritty, neon-lit backdrop of 1950s Mexico City, \u003ci\u003eTristessa\u003c\/i\u003e is Jack Kerouac’s raw and lyrical exploration of addiction, spiritual yearning, and doomed love. The semi-autobiographical novella follows Kerouac’s alter-ego as he becomes deeply infatuated with Tristessa, a beautiful but tragic Mexican prostitute entangled in the grip of a morphine addiction. Weaving together themes of Catholic mysticism, Buddhist acceptance, and the stark realities of poverty, Kerouac delivers a devastating and poetic meditation on human suffering, capturing a fragile beauty within the darkest corners of existence.\u003c\/p\u003e","brand":"Broadhursts Books","offers":[{"title":"Default Title","offer_id":54565445370195,"sku":"5006","price":50.0,"currency_code":"GBP","in_stock":true}],"thumbnail_url":"\/\/cdn.shopify.com\/s\/files\/1\/0960\/1469\/6787\/files\/20260809_183436.jpg?v=1786512438","url":"https:\/\/broadhurstsbooks.com\/products\/tristessa-jack-kerouac-1st-uk-paperback-edition","provider":"Broadhursts Books","version":"1.0","type":"link"}