The Dharma Bums

One of the best and most popular of Kerouac's autobiographical novels, The Dharma Bums is based on experiences the writer had during the mid-1950s while living in California, after he'd become interested in Buddhism's spiritual mode of understanding. One of the book's main characters, Japhy Ryder, is based on the real poet Gary Snyder, who was a close friend and whose interest in Buddhism influenced Kerouac. This book is a must-read for any serious Kerouac fan.

• Big Sur
• On the Road
• On the Road: The Original Scroll (Penguin Classics Deluxe Edition)
• Junky: The Definitive Text of "Junk"
• The Portable Beat Reader (Penguin Classics)
• Naked Lunch
• Women of the Beat Generation: The Writers, Artists and Muses at the Heart of a Revolution
• post office: A Novel
• Fear and Loathing in Las Vegas: A Savage Journey to the Heart of the American Dream
• The Subterraneans