Dan Cichalski

On the Road' Original Scroll (image: Christie's) Jack Kerouac would’ve been 104 today, and his “Original Scroll”—the first draft of his seminal novel, On the Road—is once again on the auction block. Written in just three weeks in April 1951 on a 120-foot scroll made from sheets of tracing paper cut to size and taped together, On the Road debuted Kerouac’s signature jazz-infused “spontaneous prose,” tapped into the long tradition of the continental odyssey in American fiction, and inspired a “rucksack revolution.” The Jack Kerouac Estate first put the Scroll up for auction in 2001. It was purchased for $2.43 million by Jim Irsay, late owner of the Indianapolis Colts and avid collector of objects associated with legendary figures in history, music, film, literature, and sport. Murmurs of misgiving circulated throughout the Kerouac community; some expressed concern that such an important artifact would end up locked away in a vault and nobody would get to see it again. To assuage these fears, Irsay released a photo of himself holding the Scroll, and announced it would be going on tour, making stops in cities across the country where it would be on public exhibition, free of charge. It was displayed at the New York Public Library, alongside Kerouac papers and other artifacts from the Berg Collection. The Scroll, along with many other items from the Jim Irsay Collection, toured the country many times until Irsay’s death in May of 2025. Now the On the Road Scroll—along with the rest of Irsay’s collection—is on the auction block again. Bidding at Christie’s Auction House in NYC starts today at 5pm EDT. Christie’s estimates the Scroll might sell for $2.5 – $4 million.

Earthquake in NJ. Preliminary M3.0. More info to come.