The Birth of the Beat Generation
Steven Watson - 1995 (reprint)

Fans of "On the Road" and the poetry, writings and lifestyles of the "beat" era will find hours and hours of pleasure reading and re-reading Steven Watson's brilliant and complete tour of this important American movement. No coffee table should be without this beautifully written and affectionately told history of a lost era. This is a great resource for enthusiasts of the era and newcomers alike, and is filled with some rare and wonderful black and white photographs.
Watson (also a skillful and talented documentarian) has devoted his life to capturing artists and literary figures. He reports the history of these individuals with respect to the legends they were, but also paints a very humanistic and intelligently unbiased, sensitive portrait.
"The Birth of the Beat Generation" is a nice book that is a joy to revisit. It entertains and educates and reminds us of a time when a new kind of literary voice was born. Give this book as a gift or keep it by your bedside. Better yet, keep it next to you in the front seat of your car as you drive from coast to coast retracing the steps of the book's literary heroes.

Terry Osterhout
September 2002