Books

New York: Viking Press, 1952. First edition. Very Good/Very Good. FIRST EDITION, FIRST STATE of Steinbeck's classic. Steinbeck "considered Eden to be his magnum opus, the crowning achievement of his life's work. Similar to how Steinbeck spent years researching and reflecting on Zapata, and similar to how Steinbeck gradually put pieces together for The Grapes of Wrath in the 1930's, the writer let East of Eden gestate in his mind for decades. He thus 'nurtured' it 'all of his life and… [it] seemed to grow with him until the time of writing was at hand' … [To] one correspondent, Steinbeck placed East of Eden in the context of his life and work, concluding, 'That earlier work was practice for this… The rest was practice'. In another letter, Steinbeck asserted, 'I still think it is The Book, as far as I am concerned. Always before I have held something back for later. Nothing is held back here. This is not practice for a future. This is what I have practiced for…'" (Michael…

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.

Identify a first edition of 'East of Eden' by The Viking Press with the date 'September 1952' on the copyright page and the absence of the words 'First Published in September 1952' which would indicate a later printing.