Books

Two variants (no priority) containing Chapter 34 from the novel 'East of Eden', privately printed and limited to only 125 copies. The first ever appearance of an extract from the novel, issued prior to its publication in 1952. These copies were mailed by the author to his nephew-in-law, David Heyler. Both housed in the original envelope signed and addressed by Steinbeck. From the Mary Steinbeck Dekker Family Collection. Very faint traces of soiling to rear cover of one booklet with a little peripheral toning to the covers of the other, else near fine.

East of Eden is a novel by American author John Steinbeck. Published in September 1952, it is a saga telling the story of two families—the Trasks and the Hamiltons—with a particular focus on the life of Adam Trask, his twin sons Caleb and Aron, and their complex relationship with each other and their father. The novel explores themes of depravity, beneficence, love, and redemption, and it vividly captures the rural Salinas Valley in California at the turn of the 20th century. Steinbeck considered 'East of Eden' to be his magnum opus.