STEINBECK, John.

Inquire · Offered by Peter Harrington

East of Eden. First edition, signed limited issue, this copy unnumbered from a stated edition of 1,500 copies. 750 of these volumes were printed for private distribution.Steinbeck considered East of Eden "the story of my country and the story of me" (ANB). The largely autobiographical work was an immediate success and topped the US fiction best-seller list. In Steinbeck's words, it was "much the longest and surely the most difficult work I have ever done... I have put all the things I have wanted to write all my life. This is 'the book'. If it is not good I have fooled myself all the time. I don't mean I will stop but this is a definite milestone and I feel released. Having done this I can do anything I want" (cited in Benson, p. 697).

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