THE LONG VALLEY
$1,000 · Offered by Biblio
First edition
New York: The Viking Press, 1938. First printing. Very good plus in a very good jacket.. First edition of this collection of short stories in and about California's Salinas Valley, where Steinbeck was born. Published on the heels of the success of OF MICE AND MEN, this selection of short fiction by John Steinbeck is a bittersweet tour through his beloved Salinas Valley. Vignettes of farm life in the western US, at times tragic, at times beautiful, are woven with themes such as loss of innocence, racism, and keeping up appearances. Stories in this collection include "The Chrysanthemums," originally published in HARPERS MAGAZINE, and "The Red Pony" novella, first serialized in THE NORTH AMERICAN REVIEW. Also included is "Flight," published for the first time in this title, making Steinbeck "one of the first American writers to portray sympathetic Hispanic characters" (Laws). 8'' x 5''. Original beige buckram-backed cloth boards with red lettering to spine. Original unclipped ($2.50) color pictorial dust jacket illustrated by Elmer Hader. Brown topstain. Title page printed in red and black. 304 pages. Two small chips to lower edge of front jacket panel. Minor sunning to spine. Touches of edgewear. Previous owner name penned to front endpaper. Some darkening to front gutter and joint. Faint shelf soil to fore-edge. Overall, sound.
- Publisher: The Viking Press
- Year: 1938
- Edition: First Edition
- Binding: unknown
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