Oil! by Sinclair, Upton - 1927

Pasadena, California: Author, 1927. Wraps. Very Good +. is the rare wrappered issue of Sinclair's novel about the early days of the California oil industry. The higly-political work (originally banned in Boston due to a sex scene at a roadside motel) which tells the story of an oil magnate and his son who clash over the exploitation of California's oilfield workers, and of the corruption of government by oil money, served as the basis of the movie There Will Be Blood starring Daniel-Day Lewis. This copy is the rare wrappered issue self-published by Sinclair. It is in Very Good plus condition, with minimal underlining. There is some residue (presumably from a price sticker) and a small closed tear on the front cover. A prior owner has written a few lines on the inside of the front wrapper and there is a short note in a different hand on the rfep, some smudging on some pages, a small marginal chip to one leaf, and a marginal smudge and pea-sized hole in the margin of another leaf. While not flawless, this wrappered copy is in quite good condition; a remarkable survival and quite scarce in this format and an important copy for any Sinclair collector. Photos available upon request.