Main Street: The Story of Carol Kennicott
by Lewis, Sinclair
- Used
- Hardcover
- first
- Condition
- See description
- Seller
-
Tulsa, Oklahoma, United States
Payment Methods Accepted
About This Item
NY: Harcourt, Brace and Howe, 1920. First Edition . Hardcover. First printing, second issue with broken type on pages 54 and 387, very good with no dust jacket. Dark blue cloth with orange lettering; cloth a little worn on spine and slightly discolored on rear board. Faint paperclip impression first two pages, pinholes and offset darkening on half title page and facing page. Front hinge has separation at half title page, but binding is still fairly strong. A serviceable copy of the author's "breakthrough" novel.
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
- Tulsa Books
(US)
- Bookseller's Inventory #
- 021802
- Title
- Main Street: The Story of Carol Kennicott
- Author
- Lewis, Sinclair
- Format/Binding
- Hardcover
- Book Condition
- Used
- Quantity Available
- 1
- Edition
- First Edition
- Publisher
- Harcourt, Brace and Howe
- Place of Publication
- NY
- Date Published
- 1920
Terms of Sale
Tulsa Books
Books are shipped promptly upon receipt of payment. Any item may be returned within 10 days of receipt for a full refund of the purchase price. Shipping costs are not refunded unless the item was not as described.
About the Seller
Tulsa Books
Biblio member since 2008
Tulsa, Oklahoma
About Tulsa Books
Internet only bookseller specializing in modern first editions, signed books, western americana, and general interest out of print books.
Glossary
Some terminology that may be used in this description includes:
- First Edition
- In book collecting, the first edition is the earliest published form of a book. A book may have more than one first edition in...
- Jacket
- Sometimes used as another term for dust jacket, a protective and often decorative wrapper, usually made of paper which wraps...
- Cloth
- "Cloth-bound" generally refers to a hardcover book with cloth covering the outside of the book covers. The cloth is stretched...
- Offset
- A technique of printing where the inked image or text is ...
- Hinge
- The portion of the book closest to the spine that allows the book to be opened and closed.
- Half Title
- The blank front page which appears just prior to the title page, and typically contains only the title of the book, although, at...
- 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....
- Title Page
- A page at the front of a book which may contain the title of the book, any subtitles, the authors, contributors, editors, the...
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