Of Mice and Men

New York: Covici Friede, 1937.

Price: $500.00

Hardcover. Second printing.Very faint stains at the top of both boards, thus very good in about very good price-clipped dustwrapper with light stain on the rear panel, overall toning and a couple of very small nicks and tears. A decent copy of this poignant, classic novella of two Depression-era drifters whose dreams of a better life are not supported by fate. Only 2500 copies of the first issue were printed (vs. 50,000 for the *Grapes of Wrath*, and 78,000 for *Cannery Row*). Basis for the 1939 Lewis Milestone film with Burgess Meredith and Lon Chaney, Jr. in the lead, and which lost out to *Gone With the Wind* for the Best Picture Oscar in possibly Hollywood's greatest year (other "losers" that year included *The Grapes of Wrath, Dark Victory, Goodbye Mr. Chips, The Wizard of Oz, Ninotchka, Stagecoach, Mr. Smith Goes to Washington*, and *Wuthering Heights*). A nice, presentable copy.

Item #461337

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Item #461337 Of Mice and Men. John STEINBECK.

John Steinbeck
birth name: John Ernst Steinbeck
born: 2/27/1902
died: 12/20/1968
nationality: USA

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Biography

American novelist, best known for The Grapes of Wrath (1939), one of several naturalistic novels with proletarian themes that he wrote in the 1930s. These works, with their rich symbolic structures, effectively convey the mythopoetic and symbolic qualities of his characters. He received the Nobel Prize for Literature in 1962. - Merriam-Webster's Encyclopedia of Literaturemore

Collecting tips:

Yikes! Collecting tips for John Steinbeck could fill a book, rather than a tiny box on our website, so we're going to give you the Cliff Notes version. His first book, Cup of Gold (1929) is exceptionally scarce in jacket, especially when the spine is relatively unfaded. The Grapes of Wrath (1939 - which better not have the "first edition" statement clipped from the bottom of the front flap) is a case where there exists lots of supply, but even more demand, so prices can vary wildly depending on fairly minor variations in condition. Of Mice and Men (1937) invariably has a jacket that is slightly shorter than the book, apparently issued thus by the publisher, so fret not, or at least fret less than you might otherwise if this is the case with your copy. Cannery Row (1945) has to have buff-colored boards; copies in bright yellow boards are later (although still marginally collectible). His last few books are relatively common, but are usually well read, so fine copies are worth pursuing.

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