First UK edition of The Grapes of Wrath by John Steinbeck (1939)
Fifth printing
Medium format hardback in VG condition.
There is a previous owner inscription to the front endpage from 1939. Age toned and foxing to the page block, which has caused small areas of spotting at the top of some the pages. Age toning to pages. Minor wear to boards and shelf wear to extremities of spine. Dust jacket has general wear, with quite a bit of chipping to extremities. Binding firm.
About
John Steinbeck’s masterpiece follows the westward journey of one family, the Joads, as they trekked across America towards the promised land of California. The book’s inspiration came from his wife’s interest in “Okies”, migrants driven west to Steinbecks native California by the Dust Bowl drought in the Great Plains region in the 1930s.
The book cost Steinbeck two years of research trips to the Californian interior valleys and a few false starts, followed by a five-month push to write the final version, all the while battling an unnamed illness and the gradual deterioration of his marriage. In late October 1938, the novel was finished. Never worked so hard in my life nor so long before, Steinbeck told his old roommate, Carl Wilhelmson. In the dedication, he acknowledged that Carol willed this book; she typed the manuscript, acted as his editor and sounding board, and suggested the books resonant title.
The first edition of 50,000 copies was printed by March, ready for the official publication date of 14 April 1939. Nearly 20,000 sold in advance, and another two printings were called for before publication. By early May, it was selling 10,000 copies a week; 430,000 copies were printed the first year.
