Babbitt

Norwalk, CT: The Easton Press. Fine with No dust jacket as issued. 1991. Collectors Edition. Leather Bound. Fine: flawless; the binding is square and secure; the text is clean. Free of creased or dog-eared pages in the text. Free of underlining, hi-lighting, notations, or marginalia. Free of any ownership names, dates, addresses, notations, inscriptions, stamps, plates, or labels. A handsome, like-new copy, structurally sound and tightly bound, showing no discernible imperfections. Does not appear to have ever been opened. NOT a Remainder, Book-Club, or Ex-Library. 8vo. (8.85 x 5.8 x 1.25 inches) . Illustrated with duotone drawings. Black genuine leather over boards with gilt titles at the backstrip and gilt designs at the front panel and rear panel. Full Leather Binding. The backstrip shows raised bands, gilt titles, and designs . Silk moire endpapers. All Edges Gilt. Sewn-in gold ribbon marker. Language: English. Weight: 26 ounces. Hardback: Full Leather Binding. Sinclair Lewis (1885 – 1951) was an American novelist, short story writer and playwright. In 1930, he became the first writer from the United States (and the first in fact from the Americas) to receive the Nobel Prize in Literature, which was awarded "for his vigorous and graphic art of description and his ability to create, with wit and humor, new types of characters." His works are known for their critical views of American capitalism and materialism between the wars. He is also respected for his strong characterizations of modern working women. When Babbitt was first published in 1922, fans gleefully hailed its scathing portrait of a crass, materialistic nation; critics denounced it as an unfair skewering of the American businessman. Sparking heated literary debate, Babbitt became a controversial classic, securing Sinclair Lewis’s place as one of America’s preeminent social commentators. Lewis' portrait of the striving middle class is just as appropriate for today's society as it was when he wrote it. His critique of the ideal citizen rings just as true now as then. The hypocracy is just as obvious, and the reward for 'virtue' just as strong. When one of the good fellows starts to think through his position and criticize it, he is ostracized for his unorthodox thoughts, for becoming a red, even though he's nothing close to it. The worst of the red-baiting was yet to come when Lewis wrote Babbitt, but he captures the idea of it pretty well. One of the more interesting recurring themes in the book is discussing the benefit of Prohibition while flouting it. In good society, one must always discuss the virutes of Prohibition, especially for the lower classes who need it, so as not to exceed in their imbibing. ; Large 8vo 9" - 10" tall; 342 pages .