East of Eden Paperback - 1981
by John Steinbeck
About this book
Reader reviews for East of Eden
Review summary
Readers overwhelmingly hail John Steinbeck’s East of Eden as his magnum opus—an epic, multigenerational family saga rooted in the Salinas Valley and structured around a Cain-and-Abel framework. They praise its vivid sense of place, muscular prose, and especially its complex characters: the sympathetic Cal, the chillingly unforgettable Cathy/Kate, the beloved and wise Lee, and the humane Hamiltons. The novel’s exploration of good and evil, choice and responsibility—encapsulated in the motif of “timshel”—is widely described as moving and quotable, with many finding it surprisingly readable despite its length. A minority criticize it as verbose, melodramatic, and heavy?handed in its biblical parallels, with some dated portrayals of women and race and uneven pacing. Even so, the broad consensus frames it as a landmark American novel that resonates deeply with readers.
Readers say this book is:
masterpiece epic character-driven thought-provoking immersive emotionally resonant readable heavy-handed verbose timelessWrite a review for this book
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First edition identification
East of Eden’s true first edition (Viking Press; New York, 1952) is a limited edition of only 1,500 copies signed by Steinbeck. This signed limited first edition has dark green boards and came in a slipcase. 750 copies of this signed limited first edition were for private distribution. The original cloth binding is stamped in gilt and brown, in a faux-wood grain slipcase.
The first trade edition states "First published by The Viking Press in September 1952" on the copyright page with no statements of subsequent printings, and the year 1952 on the title page. Boards are light green. Dust jacket has Steinbeck's photo on the rear with no blurbs. The first state has "bite" on page 281, line 38.
Details
- Title East of Eden
- Author John Steinbeck
- Binding Paperback
- Edition Reprint
- Pages 691
- Volumes 1
- Language ENG
- Publisher Penguin Group, Toronto, Ontario, Canada
- Publication date 1981-01-29
- ISBN 9780140058291 / 014005829X
- Weight 0.5 lbs (0.23 kg)
- Dimensions 5 x 7 x 1 in (12.70 x 17.78 x 2.54 cm)
- Reading level 600
- Category Fiction - General
- Library of Congress Catalogue Number 79014915
- Dewey Decimal Code 801.95
More Copies for Sale
East of Eden
by STEINBECK John
- Used
- Very good
- Paperback
- Condition
- Very good
- Binding
- Paperback
- ISBN 10 / ISBN 13
- 9780140058291 / 014005829X
- Quantity available
- 1
- Seller
- Item price
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A$38.17A$16.37 Delivery to USA
Show details
East of Eden
by Steinbeck, John
- Used
- Good
- Paperback
- Condition
- Good
- Edition
- Television Edition
- Binding
- Paperback
- ISBN 10 / ISBN 13
- 9780140058291 / 014005829X
- Quantity available
- 1
- Seller
- Item price
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A$49.56A$10.35 Delivery to USA
Show details
East of Eden
by Steinbeck, John
- Used
- Good
- Paperback
- Condition
- Good
- Binding
- Paperback
- ISBN 10 / ISBN 13
- 9780140058291 / 014005829X
- Quantity available
- 1
- Seller
- Item price
-
A$75.37Free Delivery to USA
