Books

First edition, first printing, inscribed by the author on the front free endpaper, "Again for Helen Murphy, affectionately John Steinbeck", with the recipient's ownership inscription "Helen Murphy Martin" on the title page. Helen (b. 1894) was the daughter of Dr. Henry Murphy, the Salinas physician who delivered Steinbeck as a baby. Steinbeck was childhood friends with Helen's younger brother John, and later in 1956-7 corresponded with John and his son Dennis Murphy in enthusiastic support of Dennis's desire to be a writer. Dennis's resulting novel was published in 1958 as the best-selling The Sergeant. Octavo. Original tan cloth, spine lettered in brown, spine and sides with wraparound pictorial design in brown, sheet music endpapers, top edge yellow. With dust jacket. Housed in a green morocco backed book-form case by the Chelsea Bindery. Cracking to gutter between half-title and title; jacket not price-clipped, with general mild toning, light wear to ends and corners, small chip at head affecting part of title, small split just starting at head of front joint fold: a very good copy in like jacket.

The Grapes of Wrath, written by John Steinbeck, is a powerful novel depicting the struggles of the Joad family during the Great Depression as they journey from Oklahoma to California in search of a better life.