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Main Street (100 Greatest Masterpieces of American Literature series)
by LEWIS, Sinclair
- Used
- Hardcover
- Condition
- Near Fine with no dust jacket
- Seller
-
Littleton, Colorado, United States
Payment Methods Accepted
About This Item
Franklin Center, Pennsylvania: The Franklin Library. Near Fine with no dust jacket. 1978. Leather. First published in 1920, the author's much-admired novel tells the story of Carol Kennicott, a sophisticated woman who experiences small town living for the first time after her marriage. American-born, Sinclair Lewis (1885-1951) was awarded the Nobel Prize for Literature in 1930. This deluxe Franklin Library reprint edition with illustrations by Hal Ashmead. An entry in the publisher's 100 Greatest Masterpieces of American Literature series, issued in conjunction with the Bicentennial of the American Revolution. One of an unspecified number in a limited edition. Franklin Library "Notes from the Editors" booklet about this work is included. --- Bound in full black bonded leather covers with four raised bands on spine. Spine titling, elaborate decorations to covers and spine, and textblock edges all in bright gilt. Text presented on high-quality papers. Blue silk moire endpapers, with matching sewn-in satin ribbon placemarker. Volume lacks a dust jacket (as issued). --- An about-Near Fine copy with slight sunning to edges of moire endpapers, otherwise bright, newish and lacking additional damages or evidence of having been read.; Octavo - 8 to 9 in. tall; (8), 443 pages .
Synopsis
Main Street by Sinclair Lewis is a satirical novel concerning small town America. The story follows Carol Milford, a liberal and free-spirited woman, as she marries Dr. William Kennicott and settles in his hometown of Gopher Prairie, Minnesota. Upon arrival, Carol is shocked by the conservatism and general backwardness of Gopher Prairie—which is loosely based on Lewis’ hometown of Sauk Centre, Minnesota. The residents of Gopher Prairie seem more interested in gossip than larger cultural or social issues, which frustrates Carol. In various attempts to reform the town, she implements one improvement project after another, all of them ending in failure. In the end, Carol realizes that her frustrations with the individuals of the town should really have been directed towards its institutions and that although she was been beaten, she has kept the faith. Lewis initially seems to be attacking his small town roots in the novel, but his satire is double-edged; Main Street is not only a critique of simple townspeople, but also of the superficial intellectuals who look down on them. Main Street was not expected to be a commercial success. Lewis anticipated selling 10,000 copies; Harcourt, Brace and Howe anticipated 20,000. In the first six months of 1921, Main Street sold over 180,000 copies. Main Street is ranked 68th on Modern Library’s “100 Best” English-language novels of the 20th century. The novel was initially awarded the Pulitzer Prize for literature that year, but the Board of Trustees overturned the decision and gave the prize to Edith Wharton for The Age of Innocence instead. (In 1925, Lewis rejected the Pulitzer Prize for Arrowsmith because he felt that he had deserved the prize for Main Street.)
Read More: Identifying first editions of Main Street (100 Greatest Masterpieces of American Literature series)
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Details
- Bookseller
- Bluebird Books
(US)
- Bookseller's Inventory #
- 87126
- Title
- Main Street (100 Greatest Masterpieces of American Literature series)
- Author
- LEWIS, Sinclair
- Format/Binding
- Leather
- Book Condition
- Used - Near Fine with no dust jacket
- Binding
- Hardcover
- Publisher
- The Franklin Library
- Place of Publication
- Franklin Center, Pennsylvania
- Date Published
- 1978
Terms of Sale
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About the Seller
Bluebird Books
Biblio member since 2005
Littleton, Colorado
About Bluebird Books
Bluebird Books is the bookselling business of Eric Mayer, operating from my base in Littleton, Colorado. I specialize in classic fiction and literature, books on birds and natural history, railroadiana, biography, history and many other genres. Bluebird Books features publications by the Modern Library and Everyman's Library. I offer free shipping on books shipped within the US via USPS Media Mail. INTERNATIONAL ORDERS: I recommend that you use Biblio.com for your international orders because they have formed a partnership with Asendia to allow for much more affordable shipping on parcels weighing under 5 lb. (about 2.26 kg).
Glossary
Some terminology that may be used in this description includes:
- Jacket
- Sometimes used as another term for dust jacket, a protective and often decorative wrapper, usually made of paper which wraps...
- Gilt
- The decorative application of gold or gold coloring to a portion of a book on the spine, edges of the text block, or an inlay in...
- Reprint
- Any printing of a book which follows the original edition. By definition, a reprint is not a first edition.
- Fine
- A book in fine condition exhibits no flaws. A fine condition book closely approaches As New condition, but may lack the...
- Edges
- The collective of the top, fore and bottom edges of the text block of the book, being that part of the edges of the pages of a...
- Octavo
- Another of the terms referring to page or book size, octavo refers to a standard printer's sheet folded four times, producing...
- Spine
- The outer portion of a book which covers the actual binding. The spine usually faces outward when a book is placed on a shelf....
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