New York: Covici Friedi, 1936. First edition. Number 31 of 99 copies of the signed limited edition. This copy Fine and unread in the original glassine jacket and publisher’s slipcase. Glassine also Nearly Fine condition with a small tear at the lower, rear corner, publisher’s slipcase Near Fine with a small nick to the lower corner and slight rubbing.

Historically overshadowed by Steinbeck’s towering works East of Eden and The Grapes of Wrath, his later novel In Dubious Battle has seen a resurgence of scholarly interest for its depictions of race and class. In developing the novel's central structure, “Steinbeck utilized episodes from the Tagus Ranch peach strike of 1933 and a cotton strike throughout the San Joaquin Valley that October”; while he “deviated from the particulars of these labor disputes to clarify the central themes of the novel…In Dubious Battle indicates that the primary responsibility for human suffering rests on the growers, since they preside over an economic framework that limits the opportunities available to the working class” predominantly composed of people of color (Dawson). Steinbeck’s emphasis on laborers unionizing to fight back against their abusers – predominantly powerful, white men – are concerns that still resonate today. In Dubious Battle made its appearance on the big screen in 2017, as a film directed by James Franco.

Goldstone & Payne A5(a). Fine in Near Fine dust jacket. (Item #6736)