God’s Little Acre
by Erskine Caldwell
- Used
- very good
- Hardcover
- first
- Condition
- Very Good
- Seller
-
Mulvane, Kansas, United States
Payment Methods Accepted
About This Item
Light toning, else contents appear unread & Unblemished in wraps displaying minor surface/edge/wear, as shown.
Published a year after "Tobacco Road" in 1933, "God's Little Acre" received enormous public attention because of its lurid, licentious content. Caldwell wrote forcefully, and sometimes comically, about issues many others writers were afraid to confront: the payments extracted for giving in to one's sexual cravings, injustices everywhere in American life in the Depression years, the power of the wealthy, the necessity of labor union as the working man's only hope for self-determination. This misadventured classic revolves around Georgian patriarch, Ty Ty Walden, who is forever grasping - alternately for the gold he thinks is to be found under his fields and for a divinity within himself. Living with Ty Ty on the farm that has ceased to be farmed, are his sexually depraved daughter, Darling Jill, his obedient sons, Buck and Shaw, and Buck's wife Griselda, a beautiful, innocent temptress who inadvertently sends all men (including Ty Ty) into tailspins of sexual desire. From dawn until dark, they dig up the fields, looking for gold nuggets. Ty Ty sends for his daughter, Rosamond, who lives in South Carolina with her laid-off millworker husband, the lascivious Will Thompson, to help dig. Their arrival only causes tension. Betrayals and jealousies give fuel to the underlying tension of the family until the book's solemn conclusion.
Insurance is included in the shipping & handling. Extra Charges/Fees apply on Shipments Outside The U.S. and Expedited Shipments. Oversize and/or heavy books may require additional fees. Will advise Updated 11.07.23. #3419-42619
Synopsis
God's Little Acre by author Erskine Caldwell tells the story of a rural, proletariat family in South Carolina whose lives seemingly revolve around the pursuit of sex and money. A commentary on the plight of the working class sans union protection in the 1930s, the novel also explores themes on land and resource conservation. Due to the sexual imagery, Caldwell was sued for the dissemination of pornography, but ultimately prevailed in court. The case and decision is considered significant in the establishment of modern interpretations of first amendment rights and freedom of expression. Published in 1933 by The Viking Press in black cloth printed in orange and green, the simple pictoral jacket with a sunrise seems to imply a pastoral theme far removed from the actual book's contents. As was the custom for Viking Press at the time, a first has neither a statement of first edition, nor any mention of subsequent printings. It's not uncommon to find a copy in the sunny jacket for around $2,000-$4,000 with signed copies pushing the price up to around $5,000-$6,000.
Reviews
(Log in or Create an Account first!)
Details
- Bookseller
- Eve's Reads (US)
- Bookseller's Inventory #
- #3419-42619
- Title
- God’s Little Acre
- Author
- Erskine Caldwell
- Format/Binding
- Mass Market Paperback
- Book Condition
- Used - Very Good
- Quantity Available
- 1
- Edition
- 1st Ed. 58th Prtg
- Binding
- Hardcover
- Publisher
- A Signet Book from New American Library
- Place of Publication
- New York, NY
- Date Published
- 1961
- Pages
- 160
- Weight
- 0.00 lbs
- Keywords
- Movie tie ins
Terms of Sale
Eve's Reads
Shipping/Handling/Insurance/Tracking Included within the continental U.S. (Free Shipping). Extra Charges/Fees apply on ALL Shipments Outside The U.S. and Expedited Shipments. Oversize and/or heavy books require additional fees. Will advise and will send invoice via Paypal for extra charges.