THE MOON IS DOWN by Steinbeck, John - 1942

New York: The Viking Press, 1942. First printing. Very good plus in like dust jacket.. Signed first edition of this tale of resistance written in the early days of America's participation in World War II, adapted into a play and a film. THE MOON IS DOWN marked the beginning of John Steinbeck's involvement in the US war machine; the year after its publication, he took a position as a war correspondent for the NEW YORK HERALD TRIBUNE, and he wrote several works about US soldiers. Steinbeck adapted the story into a play in the same year as the novel's publication, and it was quickly converted into a film by Twentieth Century-Fox.
Steinbeck's intimate and moving portrayal of an occupied Northern European town resonated throughout wartime Europe. THE MOON IS DOWN earned him the King Haakon VII Freedom Cross, a Norwegian honor for outstanding achievement during war, and editions of the title were surreptitiously published in Nazi-occupied countries. 7.5'' x 4.75''. Original blue cloth binding with blind and silver lettering. Original price-clipped color pictorial dust jacket illustrated by Frank Lieberman. 188 pages. Signed by Steinbeck to title page. Jacket with light edgewear, a couple small chips; rear with mild toning. A bit of scuffing to boards, spine ends bumped; some soil to lower edge. Interior clean.