The Grapes Of Wrath

John Steinbeck's The Grapes of Wrath stands as a pivotal piece of American literature. The story follows the Joad family (and thousands of others) as they are driven from the Oklahoma farm where they are sharecroppers during the Great Depression. The drought, economic hardship, and changes in financial and agricultural industries send them searching for dignity and honest work in the bountiful state of California. The novel earned Steinbeck the Pulitzer Prize for fiction in 1940, and inspired the classic film of the same name the same year. The film starred Henry Fonda as Tom Joad, and Steinbeck's words and ideas shine through that medium. In 1962, Steinbeck was awarded the Nobel Prize for Literature for the body of his work, and The Grapes of Wrath stands as his most recognized and esteemed book. -

 The book was first published in 1939, by The Viking Press. Commonly found flaws in the first edition of this work include age tanning, rolling of the spine, and chips to the edges of the pages and boards. Signed copies of a First Edition in excellent condition can fetch over $20,000. The first UK edition was printed by William Heinemann, also in 1939. Signed First UK editions are also collectible, often sold for over $5,000 USD.