Usa Trilogy

John Dos Passos’s USA Trilogy covers the historical development and evolution of American society during the first three decades of the twentieth century. Originally published individually, the trilogy includes The 42nd Parallel, covering the period from 1900 up to World War I; 1919 (or Nineteen Nineteen), dealing with the war and the critical year of the Treaty of Versailles; and The Big Money, which moves from the boom of the 1920s to the bust of the 1930s.

Dos Passos uses an experimental technique in portraying the everyday situations of the characters around WWI with special attention to the social and economic forces that drive them. In a complex format, he incorporates four narrative modes: fictional narratives with free indirect speech telling the life stories of the twelve main characters; fragments of Dos Passos’ own autobiographical stream-of-consciousness (often referred to an “The Camera Eye”); collages of blaring newspaper headlines and article clippings along with some song lyrics  (“The Newsreel”); and biographies of various public figures of the time, including Woodrow Wilson and Henry Ford.

The 42nd Parallel, what would become part one of the trilogy, was first published by Harper and Brothers in February 1930. Dos Passos intended for Harper to publish 1919 as well; however, the publisher rejected the book when the author refused to cut a satirical portrait of J.P. Morgan, who had recently financially assisted Harper. Thus, Harcourt, Brace published 1919 in March 1932 and The Big Money in August 1936. The next summer, Harcourt, Brace agreed to published Dos Passos’s three works in a single volume edition, for which the author selected the name USA.

The USA Trilogy is ranked 23rd on Modern Library’s list of the “100 Best” English-language novels of the 20th century.

Harcourt, Brace published the first one-volume USA Trilogy in January 1938. First editions have no additional printings listed on the copyright page.

Constable published the first UK edition of the USA Trilogy in London in 1938. Following World War II, Houghton Mifflin published USA in a boxed three-volume edition with colored endpapers and illustrations by Reginald Marsh. This deluxe edition was limited to 365 copies, 350 of which are signed by both Dos Passos and Marsh.