Books

1907. First Edition. Signed. WHARTON, Edith. The Fruit of the Tree. New York: Charles Scribner's Sons, 1907. Small octavo, original red cloth, uncut. Housed in a custom cloth clamshell box. $8500.Rare pre-publication copy of Wharton's classic novel about the tragic results of unregulated industry and the need for labor reform, inscribed to Wharton's close friend and fellow author in the year of publication: ""Robert Grant from Edith Wharton. Oct. 1907.""In this novel, Wharton examines such controversial topics as euthanasia, treatment of factory workers, divorce, and drug addiction. It's ""an interesting and rewarding book in many ways—especially in its depiction of the heroine, Justine Brent, and her marriage to a weak man"" (Modern American Women Writers, 389). This pre-publication copy was produced without the frontispiece, list of illustrations, and illustration attribution on the title page, but contains one of the three first edition illustrations and has a gilt top…

The Fruit of the Tree is a novel by Edith Wharton, first published in 1907. The story delves into issues such as labor practices, the ethics of modern medicine, and personal and professional conflicts.

Check the publisher's name, publication date, and if available, the statement of the edition printed on the copyright page for identifying first editions.