[Rarebooks] cut GRAPES; wandering GRAPES (Steinbeck)

[Serendipity Books]

THE GRAPES OF WRATH
(1939)


A12a                THE GRAPES OF WRATH.  New 
York: The Viking Press [early 1939]. Cut galleys 
of the first printing of the first edition, 
original plain brown butcher-paper wrappers, 
soiled, edges curling, cover glue stains and 
label (partial, torn, summarizing content), 
indicating the published version will appear in 
April at $2.75, 5 3/8 x 8" in size. Measurements 
of these bound galleys: ca 12 ½" x 7 ½" edges 
untrimmed at the bottom, some sheets vary in 
size, some are at least an inch longer than 
others [no text lost], margins vary, printed on 
rectos only.  Paged by hand, 324 leaves numbered 
in pencil at the publisher's, bound without prelims, the text complete.

At the first leaf appears a second label, yellow, 
partially printed, completed in typescript, 
indicating that publication day will be April 21, 
that these are unrevised proofs and confidential, 
that a review must not appear until publication 
day.  Paged by hand, 324 leaves numbered in 
pencil at the publisher's offices, the text 
complete, bound without prelims.  Leaf 20 has a 
torn corner, but the piece is present. On leaf 
164 is printed "SECOND HALF BY JOHN STEINBECK".

             Every indication of a rush job:

1)       Pages not uniformly cut according to placement of text
2)       Sheets not evenly cut, some are much shorter than other
3)       Fore and bottom edges not trimmed
4)       Prelims not yet printed
5)       No printed covers
6)       Two different labels, one later than the other
7)       Paginated ny hand, a tedious process, here done accurately
8)       Pagination by hand grows larger & larger, the pager growing weary
9)       Uneven printing, ink smearing
10)    Lino slug backs inked and present


             Uncorrected galley proofs of one of 
the most celebrated of all American 20th century 
novels, it enjoyed 19 hardback printings through 
1963.  Not in Goldstone; Adrian had only a later 
16 page excerpt for booksellers. There is no 
indication from the on-line catalogue that HRC at 
the University of Texas, Austin, has these 
galleys.  Harry Valentine had Steinbeck's long 
galleys, 161 numbered sheets measuring 7 ½ x 24" 
but not galleys for review, and it is 
inconceivable more than 3-4 were send out in this 
format, to New York City newspapers, if that 
many.  These sheets are hand-inked, evidenced by 
the unevenness of the printing. Only one set 
would have been retained, for there would have 
been only one proof-reader.   $22,500.00






A12d (first printing – Canadian issue)    THE 
GRAPES OF WRATH.  Toronto: The Macmillan Company 
of Canada Limited (April 1939)   Original 
illustrated gray cloth, top edges stained 
yellow.  First Canadian edition, first printing, 
or, more accurately, first edition, first 
printing, Canadian issue, and at least 1000 times 
scarcer than its American counterpart.  American 
sheets, American dust jacket.  But the jacket has 
been overprinted, with black bars covering "THE 
VIKING PRESS / NEW YORK CITY" which appears at 
the bottom of the front flap, and "Printed in 
U.S.A." added in small typeface at the bottom of 
the rear flap. Moreover, a black bar has been 
printed over ""VIKING PRESS" on the spine of the 
jacket, and above, overprinted is 
"MACMILLAN".   The jacket was designed by Elmer 
Hader, and is necessarily price-clipped, but the 
"First Edition" corner at the bottom of the front 
flap remains intact.   A small tear and a tiny 
tear in the edges of the jacket, without loss. A 
review of this title and FINNEGANS WAKE from the 
New York Post is tipped to the front free 
endpaper, on the verso of which is the bookplate 
of The Macmillans of Canada.   The publisher's 
file copy, fine in dust jacket.   $15,000.00




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5) California Sales Tax charged to California addresses.

************

Peter B. Howard
Serendipity Books
1201 University Avenue
Berkeley, CA 94702
voice: (510) 841-7455
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