Buddhism and the prospect of nuclear war - photo 1

Buddhism and the prospect of nuclear war

Lot 230
07.12.2022 10:00UTC -04:00
Classic
Starting price
$ 4 000
AuctioneerCHRISTIE'S
Event locationUSA, New York
Archive
The auction is completed. No bids can be placed anymore.
Archive
ID 859749
Lot 230 | Buddhism and the prospect of nuclear war
Estimate value
$ 5 000 – 7 000
KEROUAC, Jack (1922-1969). Typed letter signed (“Jack”) to Ed White, [21 July 1958]. Unpublished.

Quarto. Single leaf; recto only; address added in autograph to upper margin; small smudges. With envelope addressed in autograph, postmarked Northport, New York.

"Sir, comparisons are odious, so this is enough for tonight of planting positive against negative words and creating illusion of thought. Ho Ho!”

The terrifying prospect of nuclear war was holding most Americans in a state of anxiety, including White. Kerouac responds in part:

If you should search around for causes for worry, for your son, too, there’d be no end to your worry, just as my father finally found out that if you search around for injustices you’ll just drive yourself raging to the grave. [...]

There’s no hope of justice for long or happiness on earth, for you or for me or your son, but there is hope and assurance and the blessedness surely to be believed, that all things go back to Heaven.

He advises: “Ed why don’t you go down to the library and take out Lankavatara Scripture. That will open your eyes.”

A dozen years had passed since their first meeting on the Columbia campus, and vast amounts of water had flowed under the bridge. “Well, old pal,” he writes, “God forbid I ever go on silly roads like that again, I’m too old and not interested in kid shenanigans any more. I never leave the house, work all the time, drink in solitude, receive no visitors and [am] on the way to solitary peace. My mother finally has her house. Soon I’ll have it paid, fallout on the roof and all.”

In a postscript Jack adds an interesting editorial note: “In On the Road, when you say on the phone ‘You?’ I really had ‘Yo?’ but stupid editors changed it.” “Yo” was in general use in the military during World War II, and was widely adopted after the war as a slang greeting among the younger population. It was far less common by the time On the Road was published, which probably explains the copyediting error.
Auction house category:Letters, documents and manuscripts
Address of auction CHRISTIE'S
20 Rockefeller Plaza
10020 New York
USA
Preview
23.11.2022 – 07.12.2022
Phone +1 212 636 2000
Fax +1 212 636 4930
Email
4FQ.AYGKAGLUQ@FO3G@
Conditions of purchaseConditions of purchase
Shipping Postal service
Courier service
pickup by yourself
Payment methods Wire Transfer
Business hoursBusiness hours
Mo 09:30 – 17:00   
Tu 09:30 – 17:00   
We 09:30 – 17:00   
Th 09:30 – 17:00   
Fr 09:30 – 17:00   
Sa closed
Su closed

Related terms

Frequently asked questions

First of all, you should register to be able to purchase at auction. After confirming your email address, enter your personal information in your user profile, such as your first name, last name, and mail address. Choose a lot from the upcoming auction and the maximum amount you want to place on it. After confirmation of your choice, we will send your application by e-mail to the appropriate auction house. If the auction house accepts a request, it will participate in the auction. You can view the current status of a bid at any time in your personal account in the "Bids" section.
Auctions are performed by auction houses and each of the auction houses describes their terms of auction. You can see the texts in the section "Auction information".
The results of the auction are published within a few days after the end of the auction. In the top menu of the site, find the tab "Auctions". Click on it and you will be on the auction catalog page, where you can easily find the category "Results". After opening it, select the desired auction from the list, enter and view the current status of the interested lot.
The information about the auction winners is confidential. The auction winner will receive a direct notification from the auction house responsible with instructions for further action: an invoice for payment and the manner in which the goods will be received.
Each of the auction houses has its own payment policy for the won lots. All auction houses accept bank transfers, most of them accept credit card payments. In the near future you will find detailed information for each case in the section "Auction information" on the page of the auction catalog and the lot.
Shipment of the won lot depends on its size. Small items can be delivered by post. Larger lots are sent by courier. Employees of the auction houses will offer you a wide range to choose from.
No. The archive serves as a reference for the study of auction prices, photographs and descriptions of works of art.
?>