STEINBECK, John

Winter of our Discontent, The

London: Heinemann, 1961. Item #06570

Steinbeck’s Final Novel - A Moral Reckoning in Cold War America
The First U.K. Edition in Exceptionally Fresh Condition

STEINBECK, John. The Winter of Our Discontent. London: Heinemann, [1961].

First U.K. edition. Octavo (7 5/8 x 5 1/8 inches; 194 x 130 mm.). [1–10], 11–365, [366] pp.

Publisher’s red paper boards, spine lettered in gilt. Original price-clipped dust jacket, light wear to spine extremities. A fine copy in a near fine dust jacket.

A superb example of The Winter of Our Discontent, the final novel by John Steinbeck, published at a moment of profound cultural unease in postwar America. The work marks a notable departure from Steinbeck’s earlier, more overtly social narratives, presenting instead a deeply introspective examination of personal integrity, ambition, and moral compromise.

Set in a declining New England town, the novel follows Ethan Allen Hawley, a descendant of a once-prominent family now reduced to modest circumstances. Through a series of increasingly fraught decisions, Ethan confronts the ethical tensions between success and self-respect—a theme that resonated strongly in the shifting moral landscape of the early 1960s.

Though initially met with mixed critical reception, the novel has since come to be regarded as an important late statement in Steinbeck’s career, anticipating many of the concerns that would define American literature in the decades that followed. It was awarded the Nobel Prize for Literature the following year, in 1962, when Steinbeck’s lifetime achievement - including this final work - was formally recognized.

The U.K. edition, was issued by Heinemann in the same year as the American publication.

A clean, elegant copy of Steinbeck’s final novel - an increasingly appreciated work that offers a quietly powerful meditation on the cost of success.

Price: $350.00