Books

New York: The Viking Press, 1939. First printing. Very good plus in a very good jacket.. First edition of the Pulitzer and National Book Award-winning novel that made Steinbeck a household name. GRAPES OF WRATH has been generations of students' introduction to the Great Depression and the Dust Bowl. Steinbeck's extensive use of symbolism and Biblical motifs also makes it an excellent exercise in literary criticism for both high schoolers and hardcore academics, all pulled together with exceptionally lyrical prose. GRAPES OF WRATH was an immediate hit, and stayed atop bestseller lists for the majority of 1939. But it was not always beloved: the novel was a lighting rod for Steinbeck, both professionally and personally. His portrayal of the difficult lives of migrant workers and the corruption of the agriculture business earned him "constant vilification" from powerful farmers' groups, and the book was banned (and even occasionally burned) in a variety of communities (Demott). In…

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.

The first edition of 'The Grapes of Wrath' published by Viking Press would be bound in beige cloth with the title and author's name printed on the spine and front cover, without the Pulitzer Prize mention since it was awarded in 1940, after the first edition release.