Spit in the Ocean, No. 7: All About Ken Kesey [Mass Market Paperback]

Ed McClanahan (Editor), Gus Van Sant (Introduction)

Book Description

Publication Date: October 28, 2003

Between 1974 and 1981 Ken Kesey self-published six issues of a literary magazine called Spit in the Ocean. After the revolutionary novelist's death in the fall of 2001, one of his closest friends, acclaimed writer Ed McClanahan, decided to carry out Kesey's vision and put together a final issue of Spit as a tribute to Kesey's genius and imperturbable spirit. Featuring contributions from cultural luminaries-including Robert Stone, Paul Krassner, Wendell Berry, Bill Walton, and Grateful Dead lyricists Robert Hunter and John Perry Barlow-as well as "regular folk," and several pieces by Kesey himself, Spit in the Ocean #7 is a loving and fitting homage to the gigantic and unique spirit of the merriest of the Merry Pranksters.

Editorial Reviews

From Publishers Weekly

Dedicated to the memory of the acclaimed author of One Flew Over the Cuckoo's Nest, this last volume of a literary magazine begun by Ken Kesey in 1973 "aspires to...constitute, in sum, an intimate, affectionate portrait of its founder, one which both honors him and bids him a fond farewell." In keeping with Kesey's original objective that every issue should have a different theme and editor, this one focuses on the project's creator and is edited by his friend of many years. Kesey's intellect, compassion and creative spirit appear in this work through some of his own original writings, as well as through the literature of numerous cultural figures with whom he interacted and whom he influenced. Included are letters, previously unpublished radio interviews, poems, essays, stories and anecdotes, all of which resuscitate the eclectic writer and bring him "to the page alive and hale and shooting from the lip as only he could." Illus.
Copyright 2003 Reed Business Information, Inc.

About the Author

Ed McClanahan is an author and professor of writing whose best-known books include Famous People I Have Known and the novels The Natural Man and Congress of Wonders.

Product Details

• Reading level: Ages 18 and up
  
• Mass Market Paperback: 272 pages
• Publisher: Penguin (October 28, 2003)
• Language: English
• ISBN-10: 0142003638
• ISBN-13: 978-0142003633
• Product Dimensions: 7.9 x 5.2 x 0.6 inches
• Shipping Weight: 8 ounces (View shipping rates and policies)
• Average Customer Review: 4.7 out of 5 stars  See all reviews (7 customer reviews)
• Amazon Best Sellers Rank: #193,064 in Books (See Top 100 in Books)

Customer Reviews

Most Helpful Customer Reviews

17 of 17 people found the following review helpful:

5.0 out of 5 stars A Wonderful Celebration Of The Late, Great Ken Kesey, November 7, 2003

By 

W. C HALL (Newport, OR USA) - See all my reviews
(VINE VOICE)    (REAL NAME)   

This review is from: Spit in the Ocean, No. 7: All About Ken Kesey (Mass Market Paperback)

Do you love the writings of Ken Kesey? Buy this.

Do you want to relive a magic moment in the past, or want a better understanding of what the spirit of the 60s was all about? Buy this!

Do you want to laugh, cry, and have a great time? Buy this!!

Spit in the Ocean #7 brings to a conclusion a project Ken Kesey started more than a quarter of a century ago. In 1974, he laid out plans to self-publish seven issues of a literary magazine by this title, each issue to have a different theme and editor. By 1981, six issues had appeared, but the leader of the Merry Pranksters was ready to move on to other ventures.

Now, two year's after Kesey's departure at age 66, his friend Ed McClanahan has edited that final issue of "Spit," appropriately all about the man who gave the world so much joy. There are contributions from famous names like Hunter S. Thompson, Tom Wolfe and Larry McMurtry, but there's also lots from others who were touched by Kesey's boundless spirit and zest for life.

There are letters, interviews, memoirs, song lyrics, photos and more between these covers. I bet Kesey would have loved it. If they could have somehow included a DVD and scratch-and-sniff, he would have loved it even better. This book does a wonderful service in keeping alive the spirit of the writer, painter, filmmaker, jester, teacher, activist, wrestler, leader and lover of life named Ken Kesey.--William C. Hall

9 of 9 people found the following review helpful:

5.0 out of 5 stars A WONDERFUL MAN, December 8, 2003

By 

David B. Mcgrath "David McGrath" (Pennsauken, NJ USA) - See all my reviews
(REAL NAME)   

This review is from: Spit in the Ocean, No. 7: All About Ken Kesey (Mass Market Paperback)

This book is loving remembrances of people who knew Kesey. Halfway through the book I forced myself to slow down, because I did not want to finish the book so fast. I wanted to savor the innate wisdom and humor of Ken Kesey for as long as possible. The world is a richer place because of his passing through it, and this book shares some of his life with us. He truly fought the good fight. His spirit is carried on by the many friends he had, and I thank them for sharing with us.

5 of 5 people found the following review helpful:

5.0 out of 5 stars Only Two?, October 20, 2004

By 

David G. Hinske "greenhaven" (El Prado, NM,United States) - See all my reviews
(REAL NAME)   

This review is from: Spit in the Ocean, No. 7: All About Ken Kesey (Mass Market Paperback)

Only two reviews for this (well, now three)? How unfortunate. A lovely, insightfully odd, and sometimes twisted tome. Good reading for this distant admirer of the thoughts and processes of the time, the place, and the man.