Christmas Delivery Guaranteed 🚚
Christmas Gift Guide Gift Guide
Christmas Delivery Delivery
Store Hours Store Hours
Gift Cards Gift Cards

Order Today & Win an Epic Fantasy Prize Pack! ✨

And the Hippos Were Boiled in Their Tanks

By William S. Burroughs and Jack Kerouac
Series: Penguin Modern Classics
0.0 (0 reviews)
3.72 goodreads logo

Ratings/reviews counts are updated frequently.

Check link for latest rating. ( 14,876 ratings, 1,113 reviews)
Book Hero Magic crafted this summary to help describe this book. While it's new and still learning, it may not be perfect - your feedback is welcome! Summary
And the Hippos Were Boiled in Their Tanks is a collaborative novel by William S. Burroughs and Jack Kerouac. Set in the 1940s, it delves into the lives of two young men entangled in a complex web of friendship and rivalry, leading to a shocking act of violence. The narrative offers a raw and vivid portrayal of the Beat Generation's urban lifestyle and their struggle with existential themes.
Read More
Format: Paperback / softback
TEMPORARILY OUT OF STOCK Please add to wishlist to be notified when back in stock

Sorry, we're currently out of stock of And the Hippos Were Boiled in Their Tanks. Please add to your Wishlist and we'll send you an email as soon as it's back in stock.

Book Hero Magic created this recommendation. While it's new and still learning, it may not be perfect - your feedback is welcome! IS THIS YOUR NEXT READ?

This intriguing collaboration offers a rare glimpse into the early literary styles of two iconic Beat Generation authors. You might enjoy this book if you're drawn to true crime-inspired fiction with a noir atmosphere, set against the backdrop of 1940s New York, as it explores themes of friendship and betrayal.

Book Hero thinking about your next read

And the Hippos Were Boiled in Their Tanks

In 1944, Jack Kerouac and William Burroughs, then still unknown writers, were both arrested following a murder: one of their friends had stabbed another and then come to them for advice - neither had told the police.

Book Hero Magic formatted this description to make it easier to read. While it's new and still learning, it may not be perfect - your feedback is welcome! Description

First paperback publication of the legendary collaboration between William S. Burroughs and Jack Kerouac, a hard-boiled crime novel about a shocking murder at the dawn of the Beat Generation.

In 1944, Jack Kerouac and William S. Burroughs were charged as accessories to murder. One of their friends, Lucien Carr, had stabbed another, David Kammerer. Carr had come to each of them and confessed; Kerouac helped him get rid of the weapon—neither told the police. For this failing, they were arrested.

Months later, the two writers—unpublished at the time—collaborated on And the Hippos Were Boiled in Their Tanks, a fictionalised account of the summer of the killing.

Series: Penguin Modern Classics

View all

Book Hero Magic summarised reviews for this book. While it's new and still learning, it may not be perfect - your feedback is welcome! HOW HAS THIS BEEN REVIEWED?

And the Hippos Were Boiled in Their Tanks has been described in reviews as a compelling piece of work offering a fascinating glimpse into the early collaboration between Burroughs and Kerouac. Reviewers appreciate its raw, unpolished style and the alternating narrative voices, which paint a portrait of adventure and the counterculture of the time. Readers who enjoy noir elements and literary exploration of real murder case elements find its authenticity and historical context intriguing.

Book Hero reading reviews

Book Details

INFORMATION

ISBN: 9780141189673

Publisher: Penguin Books Ltd

Format: Paperback / softback

Date Published: 06 August 2009

Country: United Kingdom

Imprint: Penguin Classics

Audience: General / adult

DIMENSIONS

Spine width: 13.0mm

Width: 130.0mm

Height: 197.0mm

Weight: 171g

Pages: 224

Collections

Crime & Thriller Fiction General Fiction Jack Kerouac Penguin Books Penguin Classics Series: Penguin Modern Classics William S. Burroughs

About the Author

William S. Burroughs was born in 1914. His first published novel was the largely autobiographical Junky, which remains a classic depiction of drug dependency. He died in 1997. Jack Kerouac was born in 1922. In 1947, he hitchhiked across America and wrote his most famous novel On the Road. He died in 1969.

Also by Jack Kerouac

View all

Also by William S. Burroughs

View all

More from Crime & Thriller

View all

Why buy from us?

Book Hero is not a chain store or big box retailer. We're an independent 100% NZ-owned business on a mission to help more Kiwis rediscover a love of books and reading!

Service & Delivery

Service & Delivery

Our warehouse in Auckland holds over 80,000 books and puzzles in-stock so you're not waiting for your order to arrive from overseas.

Auckland Bookstore

Auckland Bookstore

We're primarily an online store, but for your convenience you can pick up your order for free from our bookstore, which is right next door to our warehouse in Hobsonville.

Our Gifting Service

Our Gifting Service

Books make wonderful thoughtful gifts and we're here to help with gift-wrapping and cards. We can even send your gift directly to your loved one.