The Town and the City.

First edition of Kerouac's first book. Octavo, original red cloth. Signed by Kerouac on the front free endpaper and with the ownership name of his close childhood friend and neighbor in Lowell, Massachusetts, Charles Dudevoir. With a note of provenance signed by Charles Dudevoir's granddaughter which reads in part, "Phil - my mother lived in Lowell when she was young - Irene Dudevoir - Her dad, Charles + mother, Martha knew Keroauc... Thanks! Melinda" and a very detailed three-page typed letter of provenance which reads in part, "I bought this book from a very well known dealer out here in California in '97. His name is Jerry Melon... The Kerouac is a very good signature from him as he frequently signed just 'Jack' or JK... there are a few formal copies of the 'Town' signed 'John Kerouac' but a full fledged Jack Kerouac on any book is very rare... I believe the [inset from the granddaughter of Charles Dudevoir] was written to Phil Chaput, a local Lowell dealer who handled many Kerouac estate items along with Jeffrey Weinberg of Waterrow books. Jeffrey Weinberg... in fact lived right across the street from the Kerouacs house and told me that Joe Dudevoir used to mow his lawn and Kerouac's lawn. Charles died in the 1950s according to his daughter-in-law... if you look up the family name 'Dudevoir' on Yahoo people search, you'll see the name appears locally all over the Lowell Mass area... and in few other places. I actually called a few Lowell Dudevoir phone numbers back in '97 and reached an elderly woman who said Charles Dudevoir was her deceased father-in-law and that he had been a very well known and well liked town resident in Lowell. He sounded like one of the classic boisterous back slapping 'Canuks' that Kerouac wrote about in the book." Very good in a very good dust jacket. Housed in a custom half morocco clamshell box made by the Harcourt Bindery. Rare and desirable signed 'Jack Kerouac' and with noted provenance from his hometown of Lowell, Massachusetts.