His writing about his process can be more interesting than his actual writing at times.

A Good overview of JK

To be honest, I had already read about 80% of what is in this selection, as I was a big Kerouac fan in my teens and early 20s (and still am, really) and devoured all I could find of his. I mostly bought this because it includes a nice selection of his letters. I flipped through the two volume collection of his letters in a used bookstore once and I just couldn't see how even a serious Kerouac fan would devote so much time to reading through all the riff raff of his casual communications to get to the meat of it all.
The Portable does all the "dirty work" for us and includes only the most historically significant letters, or at least the most enjoyable reads for Kerouac fans.
The selection of rare and/or posthumous works is also really good. From what I scanned of the selections of his published works, nearly all the best stuff seems to be in there as well.
The Portable follows his life and career chronologically, which stays true to Kerouac’s own Proustian ideas for his bio-fictional catalogue.
Ann Charters edited this, so I know it is a great intro to, as well as summary of, Kerouac's work and its enduring impact on American letters over the past sixty years. But even for the well-read Kerouac fan, this is a nice, concise collection to own for such Kerouac-friendly occasions as long roadtrips and camping.

I picked this one up at the library to study Kerouac's works. Great poet.

really everything you need from Kerouac in one neat little package. :D

the guy that wrote on the road drank himself to death. i couldnt believe it!

The really good parts make up for the so-so parts

The essential Kerouac. My copy is worn and tattered.

Always have Jack on hand, be he whiskey, a dear cat, or 'petit Jean from Lowell in New England who set us all free

I think this book is the one to start reading Kerouac along with the Portable Beats, which I haven't finished. I read Dharma Bums in college and thought it lacked structure. I didn't know it was all based on real events and didn't know how to decode the names. Even at that, it had scenes that still stick with me and I haven't reread it yet. What I know now is that structure isn't the thing to look for here, that it's one long autobiography by a brilliant man who also happened to drink a lot and take uppers. He was also a speed typist. But he wasn't just a typist, as has been quipped. He could write. He also could invent games and started doing that as a child. On games alone, Kerouac seems brilliant and I wonder if enough survives in his notes to reconstruct his work. He was influenced by Thomas Wolfe, which is likely why my father had Dharma Bums in the first place. Before there were hippies I wanted to be a beat. it must have been an odd psychic transmission because I have no idea where it came from.

Quality time with my man Ti Jean, Sal Paradise, Jack Duluoz, Leo Percepied, Ray Smith, and Peter Martin. I love Kerouac.

highly reccomend it has everything about my favorite author. poems, history, excerts from his famous novels on the road to the subternaneans. essential kerouac.