The Moon Is Down by John Steinbeck - 1942

New York : Viking Press, 1942 Book. Near Fine. Hardcover. 1st Edition. First Edition. "By the Haddon Craftsmen" on copyright page with the large period on page 112 removed. While often referred to as a second state, Goldstone/Payne A16b, establishes no priority. Hard cover in near fine condition, the slightest of edgewear. Tight, clean copy. Penciled "Doyle April 1942" on first fly leaf. DJ is VG, with an open tear on top front, 1", and tiny chips at edges. Light soiling and a few specks to collectible cover. The back of the DJ reads"The Men in the Services NEed Books!", explaining in detail who to send the book to and that "book postage rate is only 1 1/2 cents per lb. in the U.S. and its possessions." An attractive collectible. Exploring the effect of invasion on both the conquered and conquerors. Occupied by Nazi troops, a small Norway town comes face to face with evil imposed from the outside and betrayal from within. For the first time since he wrote his first novel (twelve years prior) steinbeck has gone outside of America for his setting. YEt this book, more than any other he has written, is of our times and of our hearts today. The Moon Is Down continues the experiment begun with Of Mice and Men, that of writing a short novel having the time and place disciplines of the stage. The scene of the book is any conquered country in any time. The author has purposely refrained from making it literally true to actual events. Although the weapons and ideologies may be of the present, they are only vehicles for the theme that a free brave people is unconquerable..