Beat Atlas: A State-by-State Guide to the Beat Generation

by Bill Morgan, Nancy Peters (Foreword), Allen Ginsberg (Photographer)

A companion to our guides to San Francisco and New York, Beat A Guide to the Beat Generation in America is a state-by-state guide to the rest of the nation's significant Beat locales. From Jack Kerouac's Lowell to William Burroughs' Lawrence, Kansas, to Neal Cassady's Denver—and everywhere in between— Beat Atlas contains a wealth of historical information subdivided by region and state for easy reference and is illustrated with photographs by Allen Ginsberg. Written by Ginsberg biographer and Beat authority Bill Morgan, and rich with literary lore, Beat Atlas makes an ideal companion for armchair travelers as well as those "on the road."

Genres: Nonfiction, Reference

225 pages, Paperback

First published March 1, 2011

About the author

Bill Morgan is a painter and archival consultant working in New York City. His previous publications include The Works of Allen Ginsberg 1941-1994: A Descriptive Bibliography and Lawrence Ferlinghetti: a Comprehensive Bibliography. He has worked as an archivist for Allen Ginsberg, Abbie Hoffman, and Timothy Leary.

Reviews

[R.K. Cowles · Rating 3 out of 5]

3 1/2 stars

[City Lights Booksellers & Publishers · Rating 5 out of 5]

"Whether you’re a road-tested backpacker or just an armchair traveler, this guide, by archivist and author Bill Morgan, will lead you to noteworthy Beat locales in all 50 states, beyond Greenwich Village and North Beach, the main hubs for the post-WWII literary movement." --Newsday

"A gold mine of information on the homes and haunts of the Beat Generation, this book will especially interest those who are already Beat enthusiasts." —Library Journal

"I absolutely love this book. It's quirky, interesting, and practical. This is a travel guide that you will pick up just to read, in addition to using it for finding Beat destinations to visit. Beat Atlas has my highest recommendation." --Rick Dale, The Daily Beat

"A decade ago, Beat Generation chronicler Morgan created a walking tour guide to Jack Kerouac's New York City. A couple of years later he did the same for San Francisco, tracking the haunts of Kerouac, Ginsberg, Neal Cassady and their associates. With this new guide, Morgan has gone national, listing where the Beats lived, worked and traveled. That they managed to hit all the 48 contiguous states is no surprise, but some of the places are. Lincoln makes the list for Ginsberg's 1960s poetry reading visit, and Omaha, Grand Island and North Platte were all part of Kerouac's cross-country journeys recorded in "On The Road." For Beat aficionados, it's fascinating and fun." -- L. Kent Wolgamott, Lincoln Star Journal

[Janet · Rating 4 out of 5]

Fun armchair travel reading. It's full of places I never knew were associated with the beats. Each entry is a little glimpse into the American Road.

[Heaether · Rating 2 out of 5]

What a weird book! Written like a travel guide but not very useful...