New York: Viking Press, 1939. First Edition. A Near Fine copy of the book in like dust jacket. Book with a faint dampstain on the edge of the front end paper and the half-title, otherwise a clean, excellent example. In a jacket that has a little chip at the spine and front flap fold, retaining the critical "first edition" slug on the lower flap fold. Spine a trifle toned, otherwise a bright fresh copy.

Steinbeck’s classic account of the Dust Bowl and Depression era struggle of the Joad family, The Grapes of Wrath is a quintessential American classic. It would win both the National Book Award and Pulitzer Prize; and the Nobel Prize committee would refer to it as Steinbeck’s “epic chronicle” upon giving him the award in 1962. The book was the best-selling novel of 1939 and became instantly controversial upon its release for its depiction of farmers and worker rights. Of course, The Grapes of Wrath was also adapted into the classic 1940 film, directed by John Ford and starring Henry Fonda, which was one of the first films selected by The Library of Congress for preservation in the United States National Film Registry. “It is a very long novel, the longest that Steinbeck has written, and yet it reads as if it had been composed in a flash, ripped off the typewriter and delivered to the public as an ultimatum” (Contemporary New York Times Review). Near Fine in Near Fine dust jacket. (Item #5254)