Neal Cassady, “Joan Anderson letter”, Correspondence to Jack Kerouac. December 17, 1950. Jack Kerouac Collection, 1950-1978.

Said to have been dropped over the side of a houseboat and thought to be lost for good, Cassady’s letter to Kerouac was discovered in 2014 in an attic. The letter, detailing Cassady’s relationship with the titular Joan Anderson, is heralded as supremely influential for the Beats; Kerouac said the prose style inspired his fast-paced writing in On The Road. The last page of the document demonstrates Cassady’s sprawling style as he finishes the letter in pen, writing around the margins of the paper. It also, though, provides insight into the relationship of the two men, as Cassady concludes with wishes for happy holidays for Kerouac, his wife, and his mother, and by sending his love to all of them. While depictions of the Cassady/Kerouac dynamic often lead us to believe Kerouac was chasing and ultimately abandoned by Cassady, this demonstrates a very clear affection between the two, providing a more rounded view of the relationship.