Boston: Houghton Mifflin Company, 1983. First edition. Signed by Johnson on the half-title. Octavo; 262pp.; ochre boards, black quarter cloth, in dust jacket.
Johnson’s memoir details her literary coming-of-age in the Beat era, offering sharply drawn portraits of many pivotal writers, with especial focus on Jack Kerouac, Johnson’s one-time paramour. Her book also sheds considerable light on the infrequently acknowledged role that women (the "minor characters" alluded to by the title) played in the male-dominated landscape of 1950s literature.
Near fine, with slight forward cocking to spine and light bumping to top board corners, in a fine unclipped jacket, lightly tanned to rear panel. A sharp collectible copy of this vivid and deftly written memoir, winner of the 1983 National Book Critics Circle Award.
