Herbert Huncke was the original Beat. A hustler, carny, addict, petty thief, street philosopher and chronicler of the demimonde, he was the archetype on which a generation modeled itself. In the 1940s, Huncke befriended the young William Burroughs, Jack Kerouac and Allen Ginsberg, guiding them through New York"s underground. Huncke"s work is a vital part of Beat literature, but until now has remained relatively unknown. This volume includes the full texts of Huncke"s long out-of-print classics, excerpts from his autobiography, and a wide selection from his unpublished letters and diaries. 16-page photo insert.