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Obscene in the Extreme: The Burning and Banning of John Steinbeck's the
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Obscene in the Extreme: The Burning and Banning of John Steinbeck's the Grapes of Wrath Hardback - 2008

by Rick Wartzman

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From the publisher

Few books have caused as big a stir as John Steinbeck's The Grapes of Wrath, when it was published in April 1939. By May, it was the nation's number one bestseller, but in Kern County, California--the Joads' newfound home--the book was burned publicly and banned from library shelves. Obscene in the Extreme tells the remarkable story behind this fit of censorship.

When W. B. "Bill" Camp, a giant cotton and potato grower, presided over its burning in downtown Bakersfield, he declared: "We are angry, not because we were attacked but because we were attacked by a book obscene in the extreme sense of the word." But Gretchen Knief, the Kern County librarian, bravely fought back. "If that book is banned today, what book will be banned tomorrow?"

Obscene in the Extreme serves as a window into an extraordinary time of upheaval in America--a time when, as Steinbeck put it, there seemed to be "a revolution . . . going on."

Details

  • Title Obscene in the Extreme: The Burning and Banning of John Steinbeck's the Grapes of Wrath
  • Author Rick Wartzman
  • Binding Hardback
  • Edition 1st/1st
  • Pages 308
  • Volumes 1
  • Language ENG
  • Publisher PublicAffairs, New York
  • Publication date 2008-09
  • Illustrated Yes
  • ISBN 9781586483319 / 1586483315
  • Weight 1.3 lbs (0.59 kg)
  • Dimensions 9.4 x 6.4 x 1.4 in (23.88 x 16.26 x 3.56 cm)
  • Category Literature - Classics / Criticism
  • Library of Congress subjects Censorship, Steinbeck, John
  • Library of Congress Catalogue Number 2008014948
  • Dewey Decimal Code 363.47

About the author

Rick Wartzman is director of the Drucker Institute at Claremont Graduate University and an Irvine senior fellow at the New America Foundation. He spent two decades as a reporter and editor at The Wall Street Journal and the Los Angeles Times. He is co-author, with Mark Arax, of the award-winning bestseller The King of California: J.G. Boswell and the Making of a Secret American Empire.
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Obscene in the Extreme: The Burning and Banning of John Steinbeck's the Grapes of Wrath
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Obscene in the Extreme: The Burning and Banning of John Steinbeck's the Grapes of Wrath

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ISBN 10 / ISBN 13
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PublicAffairs. Used - Good. THIS IS AN EX--LIBRARY BOOK THAT REMAINS COMPLETE AND IN GOOD READABLE CONDITION.. Former Library book. hardcover This item shows wear from consistent use but remains in good readable condition. It may have marks on or in it, and may show other signs of previous use or shelf wear. May have minor creases or signs of wear on dust jacket. Packed with care, shipped promptly.
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Obscene in the Extreme - The Burning and Banning of John Steinbeck's the Grapes of Wrath
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Obscene in the Extreme - The Burning and Banning of John Steinbeck's the Grapes of Wrath

by Wartzman, Rick

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NY: Public Affairs Press. A fine copy of the book and the jacket that looks new with no wear or markings in a publisher priced dust jacket and no remainder marks. Of interest to Bakersfield, California history . Fine. Hardback. First Edition - Stated, Also #1 in Line. 2008.
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Obscene in the Extreme : The Burning and Banning of John Steinbeck's the Grapes of Wrath

Obscene in the Extreme : The Burning and Banning of John Steinbeck's the Grapes of Wrath

by Rick Wartzman

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Obscene in the Extreme : The Burning and Banning of John Steinbeck's the Grapes of Wrath

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Obscene in the Extreme: The Burning and Banning of John Steinbeck's the Grapes of Wrath

Obscene in the Extreme: The Burning and Banning of John Steinbeck's the Grapes of Wrath

by Wartzman, Rick

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Obscene in the Extreme : The Burning and Banning of John Steinbeck's the Grapes of Wrath
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Obscene in the Extreme : The Burning and Banning of John Steinbeck's the Grapes of Wrath

by Wartzman, Rick

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ISBN 10 / ISBN 13
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Obscene in the Extreme : The Burning and Banning of John Steinbeck's the Grapes of Wrath
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Obscene in the Extreme : The Burning and Banning of John Steinbeck's the Grapes of Wrath

by Wartzman, Rick

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ISBN 10 / ISBN 13
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Obscene in the Extreme : The Burning and Banning of John Steinbeck's the Grapes of Wrath
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Obscene in the Extreme : The Burning and Banning of John Steinbeck's the Grapes of Wrath

by Wartzman, Rick

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ISBN 10 / ISBN 13
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Obscene in the Extreme: The Burning and Banning of John Steinbeck's the Grapes of Wrath
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Obscene in the Extreme: The Burning and Banning of John Steinbeck's the Grapes of Wrath

by Wartzman, Rick

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PublicAffairs, 2008-09-02. First Edition. hardcover. Used: Good. 6.50x1.00x9.75. Buy with confidence. Excellent Customer Service & Return policy.
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Obscene in the Extreme The Burning and Banning of John Steinbeck's The Grapes of Wrath

by Wartzman, Rick

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NY: Public Affairs, 2008. White cover, red cloth spine with gold lettering. Illustrated with photos. 308 indexed pages. Very clean & crisp in like dust jacket.. Stated 1st Edition. Hard Cover. Very Good/Very Good. Illus. by Photos. 6"x9".
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