Main Street Paperback - 2008
by Sinclair Lewis
Notable for shattering the uniquely American myth of the open, progressive-minded small town, this novel's incisive attack on the provincial mentality stunned a nation that was proud of its new prosperity and power. This edition features a new Introduction. Revised reissue.
About this book
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.)
First Edition Identification
Harcourt, Brace and Howe first published Main Street in 1920. Bound in blue cloth with orange highlights, the 448-page first editions state 1920 on both the title page and the copyright page and have Harcourt, Brace and Howe printed on the spine. Points of issue include a perfect "y" in the word "May" on page 387 and an unbattered number 54 on page 54. Signed copies have sold for upwards of $7,500.
Details
- Title Main Street
- Author Sinclair Lewis
- Binding Paperback
- Edition Reprint
- Pages 288
- Volumes 1
- Language ENG
- Publisher Digireads.com
- Date 2008-01-01
- ISBN 9781420930924 / 1420930923
- Weight 0.94 lbs (0.43 kg)
- Dimensions 9 x 6 x 0.65 in (22.86 x 15.24 x 1.65 cm)
- Reading level 1010
-
Themes
- Demographic Orientation: Small Town
- Sex & Gender: Feminine
- Dewey Decimal Code FIC
More Copies for Sale
Main Street
by Lewis, Sinclair
- Used
- very good
- Paperback
- Condition
- Used - Very Good
- Binding
- Paperback
- ISBN 13
- 9781420930924
- ISBN 10
- 1420930923
- Quantity Available
- 1
- Seller
-
GORING BY SEA, West Sussex, United Kingdom
- Item Price
-
$10.42$10.80 shipping to USA
Show Details
Main Street
by Lewis, Sinclair
- Used
- good
- Paperback
- Condition
- Used - Good
- Binding
- Paperback
- ISBN 13
- 9781420930924
- ISBN 10
- 1420930923
- Quantity Available
- 1
- Seller
-
GORING BY SEA, West Sussex, United Kingdom
- Item Price
-
$10.42$10.80 shipping to USA
Show Details
Main Street
by Sinclair Lewis
- Used
- good
- Paperback
- Condition
- Used - Good
- Binding
- Paperback
- ISBN 13
- 9781420930924
- ISBN 10
- 1420930923
- Quantity Available
- 1
- Seller
-
Seattle, Washington, United States
- Item Price
-
$13.30FREE shipping to USA
Show Details
Main Street
by Sinclair Lewis
- New
- Condition
- New
- ISBN 13
- 9781420930924
- ISBN 10
- 1420930923
- Quantity Available
- 926
- Seller
-
Uxbridge, Greater London, United Kingdom
- Item Price
-
$18.80$10.07 shipping to USA
Show Details
Main Street
by Lewis, Sinclair
- New
- Paperback
- Condition
- New
- Binding
- Paperback
- ISBN 13
- 9781420930924
- ISBN 10
- 1420930923
- Quantity Available
- 5
- Seller
-
campbelltown, Florida, United States
- Item Price
-
$15.00$75.00 shipping to USA
Show Details
Main Street
by Lewis, Sinclair
- New
- Condition
- New
- ISBN 13
- 9781420930924
- ISBN 10
- 1420930923
- Quantity Available
- 78
- Seller
-
Victoria, British Columbia, Canada
- Item Price
-
$15.59$14.99 shipping to USA
Show Details
Main Street
by Sinclair Lewis
- New
- Paperback
- Condition
- New
- Binding
- Paperback
- ISBN 13
- 9781420930924
- ISBN 10
- 1420930923
- Quantity Available
- 10
- Seller
-
Southport, Merseyside, United Kingdom
- Item Price
-
$21.05$12.54 shipping to USA
Show Details
Main Street
by Sinclair Lewis
- Used
- good
- Paperback
- Condition
- Used - Good
- Binding
- Paperback
- ISBN 13
- 9781420930924
- ISBN 10
- 1420930923
- Quantity Available
- 1
- Seller
-
HOUSTON, Texas, United States
- Item Price
-
$19.66FREE shipping to USA
Show Details
Main Street
by Sinclair Lewis
- Used
- Paperback
- Condition
- Used:Good
- Binding
- Paperback
- ISBN 13
- 9781420930924
- ISBN 10
- 1420930923
- Quantity Available
- 1
- Seller
-
HOUSTON, Texas, United States
- Item Price
-
$30.38FREE shipping to USA