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Main Street
by Sinclair Lewis
- Used
- very good
- Hardcover
- first
- Condition
- Very Good/none
- Seller
-
United States, Arkansas, United States
Payment Methods Accepted
About This Item
New York: Harcourt, Brace, 1920 Book. Very Good. Hardcover. 1st Edition. 1920, same date to copyright and title pages. No additonal printings listed. First issue, perfect page numbers on page 49 and 54. Page 387, line 42, the word "may" has perfect type (ref: Lee, Mcbride). Considered Author Lewis's most significant work and a classic novel for the 20th century with a strong female lead character, Carol Kennicott. Dark blue hard boards with orange border around title and author. Light spots on a few interior pages, though overall an excellent copy. Cover is in excellent condition, no spotting to boards, spine ends slightly bumped. Classic tale of small town America, with - repeating for effect - the portrayal of a strong female protagonist. .
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.)
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Details
- Bookseller
- Supercalifabulistic Books
(US)
- Bookseller's Inventory #
- 000087
- Title
- Main Street
- Author
- Sinclair Lewis
- Format/Binding
- Hardcover
- Book Condition
- Used - Very Good
- Jacket Condition
- none
- Quantity Available
- 1
- Edition
- 1st Edition
- Publisher
- Harcourt, Brace
- Place of Publication
- New York
- Date Published
- 1920
- Weight
- 0.00 lbs
- Keywords
- Small town America, feminist themes, pulitzer prize, Minnesota
Terms of Sale
Supercalifabulistic Books
9 day return guarantee, with full refund excluding original shipping costs for up to 9 days after delivery if an item arrives incorrectly described or damaged.
About the Seller
Supercalifabulistic Books
Biblio member since 2013
United States, Arkansas
About Supercalifabulistic Books
We are avid book collectors, excited to share these antique editions and rare titles we find with those who love the tactile sensation of reading as much as we do! Cultural heritage is kept alive through the books we collect, and we list these books for sale in the hope that you connect with those holding deep meaning for you, which you may not find elsewhere.
All books are stored in climate control storage with a dehumidifier.
All books are stored in climate control storage with a dehumidifier.
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- 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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