East of Eden by Steinbeck, John - 1952

New York: the Viking Press, 1952. Undetermined. very good. 1st limited edition. 602pp. Octavo. Original forest green cloth; gold gilt title stamped to the front board. Brown title label with gold gilt lettering stamped to spine. Text block edges stained to match the spine label. Minor shelf wear to the boards, with some minor bumping to the corners. Original acetate jacket. Original wood grained slipcase has some mild wear mainly on the edges and a few minor splits. Housed in a forest green clam shell case with a black leather label with gold gilt lettering set into the spine. This is the signed limited edition with 1500 copies printed, 750 of those originally reserved for private distribution--signed by Steinbeck on the limitation page. Additional inscription by Pascal "Pat" Covici--to whom this book has been dedicated--on the dedication page. A bright, lovely copy with two important signatures. First limited signed edition (limited to 1500 copies) of Steinbeck's remarkable novel of American life between the Civil and First World Wars. Steinbeck dedicated this book to Pascal Covici, his longtime publisher and friend, who has inscribed the book to Bob Silver, the sales director at Viking Press, just under the dedication. Covici signed Steinbeck to his original company, Covici-Friede, and convinced Steinbeck to follow him to Viking Press in 1938. The two maintained a close professional and friendly relationship throughout both of their lives. This novel was the basis for the 1955 Kazan film starring James Dean, Raymond Massey, and Julie Harris which won Jo Van Fleet the 1956 Academy Award for Best Supporting Actress. 1952