1987 Grant 'Beat Generation' Map of the United States

This is a 1987 Stan Grant 'Beat Generation' map of the United States. A map of the continental United States occupies the center of the large room illustrated here, with Beat authors and an appreciative crowd seated around the outside of the room. Small 'inset' maps focus on New York City, Berkeley, San Francisco, and Los Angeles. White dots bearing numbers mark locations where Beat writers lived, spent their time, or experienced some other important life event. Among the authors whose lives are chronicled are Jack Kerouac, Allen Ginsberg, Lawrence Ferlinghetti, and William S. Burroughs. Some of the era's great jazz musicians, including Charlie Parker, Miles Davis, and Thelonious Monk, play music for the gathering in the upper left corner. Jack Kerouac performs at top center, reading aloud from an open book on the stool. Allen Ginsberg, William Burroughs, Neal Cassady, and Diane di Prima are seated along the right wall.

A Wonderful Series of Literary Maps

Aaron Blake published a series of literary maps in the mid to late 1980s. Some focused on specific cities (such as New York, Paris, and Los Angeles), some on specific authors (Ernest Hemingway, Ian Fleming, Jane Austen), and others on geographic regions (the American South, Latin America). Every map is visually striking in its own way and a great addition to any bibliophile's collection.

Publication History and Census

This map was illustrated by Stan Grant and published by Aaron Blake Publishers in 1987. This map is well represented in institutional collections and appears occasionally on the private market.