The Grapes of Wrath
John Steinbeck
📚 Genre
Literary Fiction / Social Realism
🏢 Publisher
The Viking Press (Book-of-the-Month Club Edition)
📅 Publication Year
1939
🔢 ISBN
N/A (Pre-dates ISBN system; modern editions use 978-0143039433)
About This Book
A Great Depression-era novel following the Joad family, Oklahoma sharecroppers forced from their home by the Dust Bowl. They travel to California in search of jobs, land, and dignity, only to face exploitation and hardship. The cover shown is a classic tan/brown cloth with a blue line-art illustration of hills and a cabin, featuring Steinbeck's signature in red.
Book Details
Language
English
Pages
619 pages
Edition
Hardcover Book Club Edition (BOMC)
Series
Standalone novel
Target Audience
Adult / Academic
Collector Information
Condition
Good to Very Good. The brown cloth binding shows light wear on the edges and corners. The blue and red stamping remains relatively bright, though there is some minor scuffing on the front board.
Estimated Value
$20-$50
Rarity
Common. While this specific 1939/1940-era binding is vintage, it was mass-produced for the Book-of-the-Month Club. It is significantly less rare than the true first edition with the dust jacket.
Historical Significance
Winner of the National Book Award and the Pulitzer Prize for Fiction (1940). It was a major factor in Steinbeck's Nobel Prize in Literature and is a cornerstone of American social realism.
Collector Notes
Collectors look for the 'First Edition' statement on the copyright page and the $2.75 price on the dust jacket to distinguish trade firsts from book club editions like this one. To preserve, keep away from direct sunlight to prevent the red ink on the cover from fading. Value is heavily dependent on the presence of the original dust jacket, which is missing here.
Similar Books
Of Mice and Men by John Steinbeck, The Jungle by Upton Sinclair, As I Lay Dying by William Faulkner, Native Son by Richard Wright
Notable Features
Features the distinct stylized landscape cover art used for early Book-of-the-Month Club printings of this title.