John Steinbeck (1902-1968)
Steinbeck's best-known novel, The Grapes of Wrath, won the Pulitzer Prize in 1940 and has been published in every conceivable binding -- from leatherbound to first edition facsimiles to mass market paperbacks. Another of his widely-read works, Of Mice and Men, was first written as a short novel, then as a stageplay, and finally adapted to the screen.
Of the controversy surrounding Grapes... publication , he said, "The vilification of me out here (in California) from the large landowners and bankers is pretty bad." Indeed, two issues central to Steinbeck's books are 1) the plight of the poor and the migrant worker and 2) the destruction of the environment by large corporations. Both issues certainly resonate in our current-day culture, making his work perhaps even more relevant today. Steinbeck is considered by most literary scholars to be a Realist writer, focusing on social justice and contemporary issues.
1032 Steinbeck, John In Dubious Battle Penguin Books 1992 0140186417 Soft cover Second Printing Twentieth Century Classics series. Some shelfwear to cover & aging of interior but very good. 355 pp. $10 Add to Cart
1033 Steinbeck, John Short Reign of Pippin IV Viking Press 1957 Hardcover BOMC Edition DJ has age-soil, one small tear. Minor spotting to top edge. All else very good. 188 pp. $20 Add to Cart
1034 Steinbeck, John The Grapes of Wrath Bantam Books 1946 Mass Market Paperback Third Printing Tape/tape marks on inside cover, crease to spine and binding slightly cocked. Aged but clean. 570 pp,. $15 Add to Cart
1336 Steinbeck, John Forgotten Village: Life in a Mexican Village Viking Press 1941 Hardcover First Edition First printing. aging to endpapers, spotting/aging to foreedge, text block still bright. DJ has large open tear at foreedge, some loss at top of spine, aging. 143 pp. $150 Add to Cart
1672 Steinbeck, John To A God Unknown Penguin Books 1995 0140187510 Soft cover First Thus Penguin Twentieth Century Classics series.First printing thus. With an Introduction and Notes by Robert DeMott. Steinbeck's second novel. Nice, unread copy starting to show some aging. 186 pp. $15 Add to Cart
3768 Steinbeck, John The Pastures of Heaven Covici Friede 1935 Hardcover First Edition First Edition, 4th issue. Beige cloth binding, dark red titles, light green topstain. DJ price of $2.50 intact. NF/VG+ with an unobtrusive date stamp to dedication page at binding edge. DJ sunned at spine, one tiny (1/8") closed tear; in Mylar. Very rare with DJ. 294 pp. $3250 Add to Cart
4078 Steinbeck, John The Wayward Bus Viking Press 1947 Hardcover First Edition First edition, first printing. Red cloth binding, gilt titles, blindstamping to front board. CR page reads, "Published by Viking Press in February 1947." Book has wear to boards at bottom edge, owner-signed ffep, a bit of edge soil and aging to paper. DJ, designed by Robert Hallock, is worn at folds, has edge chipping including a 1-1/2 x 1/2 chip at head of spine and two 1/4" holes to front panel at top. Back panel age-discolored but whole. $2.75 price intact. In Mylar. 312 pp. $200 Add to Cart
4363 Steinbeck, John East of Eden Viking 1952 Hardcover First Edition First printing, first state in first state DJ with author photo on back, "bite" for "bight" on p 281, l 38. Green cloth, reddish-brown and black titles. Book near fine with small (splashed) coffee stain to foreedge. Textblock & pastedowns bright and clean. DJ very good with price clipped, one chip at heel and one small chip at head of spine; sunned at spine, 2 1/2" edge tears to bottom edge. 602 pp. $1200 Add to Cart
4374 Steinbeck, John Cannery Row William Heinemann 1945 Hardcover First Edition First UK Edition. Bright orange cloth binding, black titles. Book near fine with a bit of soil to top edge, else a bright, tight copy. Navy/white DJ very good with slight wear; one chip to top edge, center of front panel; wear to head, heel of spine. In Mylar. 136 pp. $215 Add to Cart
4413 Steinbeck, John The Winter of Our Discontent Viking Press 1961 Hardcover BOMC Edition No DJ. Turquoise cloth boards, matching topstain, black/gilt titles, debossed on rear board at spine, edges evenly trimmed. Unread, in unbelievably near-new condition. 311 pages. $35 Add to Cart
4811 Steinbeck, John The Grapes of Wrath Caedmon Audio Cassette 1989 089845915X Audio Book (Cassette) One cassette, 57 min. running time. Read by Henry Fonda (excerpts). Very good with some shelfwear to box. Rare. $65 Add to Cart
5288 Steinbeck, John The Grapes of Wrath Bob Crofut Franklin Library 1983 Hardcover Brown tooled leather binding, gilt titles & decoration, gilded edges, marblized endpapers, ribbon bookmark. No DJ as issued. Title and half-title page illustrations in sepia. Franklin Library promo letter laid in. Near fine with ghostlike crease to two pages at foreedge. 424 pp. $65 Add to Cart
5550 Steinbeck, John The Moon is Down Sun Dial Press 1943 Hardcover First Thus Motion picture edition with B&W photos on coated paper. Blue cloth binding, blue titles, blue topstain. Book near fine with owner bookplate to ffep. DJ in Mylar very good minus with edgewear & foldwear, chipped at head of spine. 188 pp. $75 Add to Cart
5820 Steinbeck, John Bombs Away: The Story of a Bomber Team Paragon House 1990 155778311X Soft Cover 1st Edition Second printing. Unread, near new. Illustrated with B&W photos. Uncommon. 185 pp. $55 Add to Cart
7416 Steinbeck, John The Moon Is Down Viking Press 1942 Hardcover First Edition Blue cloth, gilt titles, blindstamp to front board, blue topstain. First issue with period on p. 112, printer's name absent from cr page, unclipped DJ flaps. Very good with darkening to first and second leaves from paper laid in (now absent), topstain faded. DJ very good minus with heavy wear to folds, wear at hhead, heel of spine, soil to esp back panel. Price of $2.00 intact. 188 pp. $350 Add to Cart
7503 Steinbeck, John The Grapes of Wrath Bantam Books 1945 Mass Market Paperback First Edition First Bantam printing, November 1945. Bantam #7 with painting by "BRA..." on front cover. Primary flaw is a split to binding at center with cover equivalently creased at center spine. No pages loose. Some fading/wear to cover at spine folds, torn 1" at top front hinge, cover corners slightly worn. Paper mildly aged. Becoming scarce in any condition. 570 pp. $55 Add to Cart
8022 Steinbeck, John Novels 1942-1952 The Library of America 2001 1931082073 Soft cover First Edition Includes: The Moon is Down, Cannery Row, The Pearl, East of Eden. Advance uncorrected proof in soft cover. Diagonal crease to front cover at foreedge, lesser crease to front matter, else unread, as new. Library of America promo sheet laid in. 983 pp. $20 Add to Cart
8275 Steinbeck, John The Moon is Down Viking Press 1942 Hardcover First Edition Blue cloth binding, silver gilt titles to spine. Second state with period removed on p. 112, printer's name to cr, no topstain. Very good plus copy with very slight lean to spine. DJ in Mylar also very good with price clipped, small surface tear at spine, edgewear to head, heel of spine and bottom front panel. 188 pp. $125 Add to Cart
8276 Steinbeck, John The Wayward Bus Viking Press 1947 Hardcover First Edition Second printing. Turquoise cloth binding, gilt titles to spine and front board, embossed bus scene to front board, orange topstain. Book near fine with little wear with owner address label to front pastedown. DJ in Mylar also very good plus with minor wear/chipping to head, heel of spine. Price of $2.75 intact. 312 pp. $85 Add to Cart
8386 Steinbeck, John Travels with Charley Viking Press 1962 Hardcover First Edition First printing. Oatmeal cloth binding, black/brown titles to spine, brown decoration to front board, map endpapers, rust topstain. Book fine. First-state DJ also very good plus, with no Pulitzer Prize statement nor Book Club reference on front flap [Goldstone/Payne A39].. One chip at head of spine and price clipped. 246 pp. $450 Add to Cart
8408 Steinbeck, John Burning Bright Viking Press 1950 Hardcover First Edition Tan cloth, orange titles to spine and front board, orange topstain. CR page: "First Published..." Book very good with private library bookplate to front pastedown, some abrasions to rear pastedown, a couple of pages miscut at bottom edge. DJ also very good with edgewear, 1/8 loss at head of spine, 1/16 loss at heel of spine. Price of $2.50 intact. 159 pp. $325 Add to Cart
8422 Steinbeck, John The Grapes of Wrath Viking Press 1937 Hardcover First Edition Seventh printing, June 1939. Oatmeal cloth binding decorated with brown titles & wraparound illustration. Illustrated endpapers. Book sound with wear and soil to boards but no spotting. Cloth worn at corners. Heavy tape marks to endpapers, small waterstains to both endpapers at foreedge (but no other pages). DJ backed with brown paper, worn at folds, chipped 1/8" at spine-ends, sunned at spine, price clipped. 619 pp. $250 Add to Cart
10161 Steinbeck, John Tortilla Flat Ruth Gannett Modern Library 1939 Hardcover Reprint ML 216. Green cloth binding with gilt titles to spine and front. Flexible boards, Toledano spine #7. Kent endsheets, green topstain. B&W spot illustrations by Gannett. Book very good plus with some slant to spine, else clean and solid. DJ (8g, 268 titles) also very good plus with some short tears to spine-ends but not much loss. A very nice, and scarce, vintage ML edition. 317 pp. $100 Add to Cart
8443 Steinbeck, John (text) America and Americans Viking Press 1966 Hardcover First Edition Quarto. Half blue/half turqoise cloth binding, cilt titles, map (of US) endpapers. Profusely illustrated with full- and two-page photos by many then-contemporary staff and notable photographers; namely, Eisenstadt, Cartier-Bresson, Adams, Sirkis, Smith, Parks, Feininger and many others. Photos on matte finish paper. Book near fine with light bump to top corner. DJ in Mylar very good minus with one significant 2" chip at heel of spine, 2" split at front fold, small chip at top back panel. Price of $12.50 intact. 207 pp. $150 Add to Cart
3740 Steinbeck, John; Demott, Robert J. Working Days: The Journals of the Grapes of Wrath 1938-1941 Viking Press 1989 0670808458 Hardcover First Edition FIrst printing. Unread, as new in like DJ with remainder mark to bottom edge. 180 pp. $20 Add to Cart