EAST OF EDEN. [First Edition.] 1952 by STEINBECK, John - 1952

New York: The Viking Press, 1952. FIRST EDITION / FIRST PRINTING. First Printing of the book and dust jacket. Both book and dust jacket have all required First Printing points. The book has the copyright page stating 'First Published by The Viking Press in September 1952' with no mention of subsequent printings, title page dated 1952, spine with red, and page 281, line 38 has the misspelling 'bite', later corrected to 'bight'. The dust jacket has the $4.50 price, and the rear cover depicting the author, with his facsimile signature below, (with later printings showing book reviews instead). In good condition overall, with generalized usage wear. A little loose from reading. Binding and hinges are sound. The paper is very fresh and clean. Sporadic stains or thumbing to a few pages, a couple small creased corners, virtually free of any foxing. No previous signs of ownership. Complete and intact. The dust jacket is chipped at the spine extremities. The dust jacket is very well preserved, but has generalized wear, abrasion, creases, small edge chips, more prevalent at the spine head, as shown. The head and tails of the dust jacket are chipped. Overall, an excellent and presentable copy of the First Printing. Steinbeck wrote of East of Eden, his classic retelling of the tale of Cain and Abel, that it has everything in it I have been able to learn about my art or craft or profession in all these years I think everything else I have written has been, in a sense, practice for this (Salinas Public Library, 45). The novel is an American saga, running in time from the Civil War to the First World War. Often described as Steinbeck's most ambitious novel, East of Eden brings to life the intricate details of two families, the Trasks and the Hamiltons, and their interwoven stories. The novel was originally addressed to Steinbeck's young sons, Thom and John (then 6½ and 4½ respectively). Steinbeck wanted to describe the Salinas Valley for them in detail: the sights, sounds, smells, and colors. According to his third and last wife, Elaine, he considered it his magnum opus. (John Ditsky, Essays on East of Eden.) All books are professionally wrapped, to help ensure safe handling during transit. We regularly ship internationally. And, we offer a full refund guarantee, per our terms as described on our site, with notification of such intent requested. Additional photographs are available. Please contact us with any inquiries.