Main Street

by Lewis, Sinclair

Main Street by Sinclair Lewis is a satirical novel concerning small town America. The story follows Carol Milford, a liberal and free-spirited woman, as she marries Dr. William Kennicott and settles in his hometown of Gopher Prairie, Minnesota. Upon arrival, Carol is shocked by the conservatism and general backwardness of Gopher Prairie—which is loosely based on Lewis’ hometown of Sauk Centre, Minnesota. The residents of Gopher Prairie seem more interested in gossip than larger cultural or social issues, which frustrates Carol. In various attempts to reform the town, she implements one improvement project after another, all of them ending in failure. In the end, Carol realizes that her frustrations with the individuals of the town should really have been directed towards its institutions and that although she was been beaten, she has kept the faith. Lewis initially seems to be attacking his small town roots in the novel, but his satire is double-edged; Main Street is not only a critique of simple townspeople, but also of the superficial intellectuals who look down on them.

Main Street was not expected to be a commercial success. Lewis anticipated selling 10,000 copies; Harcourt, Brace and Howe anticipated 20,000. In the first six months of 1921, Main Street sold over 180,000 copies. Main Street is ranked 68th on Modern Library’s “100 Best” English-language novels of the 20th century. The novel was initially awarded the Pulitzer Prize for literature that year, but the Board of Trustees overturned the decision and gave the prize to Edith Wharton for The Age of Innocence instead. (In 1925, Lewis rejected the Pulitzer Prize for Arrowsmith because he felt that he had deserved the prize for Main Street.) 

First Edition Identification

Harcourt, Brace and Howe first published Main Street in 1920. Bound in blue cloth with orange highlights, the 448-page first editions state 1920 on both the title page and the copyright page and have Harcourt, Brace and Howe printed on the spine. Points of issue include a perfect "y" in the word "May" on page 387 and an unbattered number 54 on page 54. Signed copies have sold for upwards of $7,500.

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Main Street
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Main Street

by Sinclair Lewis

Condition
Used - Very Good
Jacket Condition
none
Edition
1st Edition
Published
1920
Binding
Hardcover
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1
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United States, Arkansas, USA
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New York: Harcourt, Brace, 1920 Book. Very Good. Hardcover. 1st Edition. 1920, same date to copyright and title pages. No additonal printings listed. First issue, perfect page numbers on page 49 and 54. Page 387, line 42, the word "may" has perfect type (ref: Lee, Mcbride). Considered Author Lewis's most significant work and a classic novel for the 20th century… Read more about this item
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€1,685.34
Main Street
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Main Street

by Sinclair Lewis (Deceased)

Condition
Used
Published

1965

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Luddenham, New South Wales, AUS
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London:panther 1965. Used.PAPERBACK 1965 EDITION. NO RIPS OR INSCRIPTIONS. SMALL CREASES ON FRONT COVER AND PAGE DISCOLOURATION DUE TO AGE.The classic novel about the downsides of small-town life by the Nobel Prize???winning author of Babbitt and It Can???t Happen Here. Carol is a relatively worldly and educated woman, and when she marries a doctor and follows him to his… Read more about this item
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€126.63
Main Street
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Main Street

by LEWIS, Sinclair

Condition
Used
Published
1920
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1
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Beverly Hills, California, USA
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€1,404.45

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New York: Harcourt, Brace and Howe, 1920. The story of Carol Kennicott. New York: Harcourt, Brace and Howe, 1920. First edition, second state (with type batter on pp. 54 and 387). Inscribed by Sinclair Lewis on front free endpaper. Octavo (7 3/8 x 5 inches; 187 x 127 mm). [2, blank], [8], 451, [3, blank] pp. Inscription… Read more about this item
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€1,404.45
Main Street
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Main Street

by Lewis, Sinclair

Condition
Used - Very Good
Jacket Condition
No Jacket
Edition
First Edition 1st Printing
Published
1920
Binding
Hardcover
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1
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Rockville, Maryland, USA
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€280.89

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New York, New York, U.S.A.: Harcourt Brace and Howe, 1920. First Edition 1st Printing. Hardcover. Very Good/No Jacket. 1920 Harcourt, Brace & Howe TRUE FIRST edition meeting true first requirements. There is NO broken type on either page 387 and the word "may" is intact and on page 54, the # 54 is also clean and unbroken. Extremely… Read more about this item
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€280.89
Main Street

Main Street

by Lewis, Sinclair

Condition
Used - Very Good
Jacket Condition
Fine
Published
1921
Binding
Hardcover
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1
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Beverly Hills, California, USA
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€351.11

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Harcourt, Brace and Company, 1921. Hardcover. Very Good/Fine. Published in New York by Harcourt, Brace and Company in 1921. Twenty-fifth printing stated on copyright page. Lewis's first major success, a realistic portrayal of Midwestern life, and the first of several important novels for which he became the first American to be awarded the Nobel Prize for Literature. With… Read more about this item
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€351.11
MAIN STREET
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MAIN STREET

by Lewis, Sinclair

Condition
Used
Edition
First Edition, First Printing, Second Issue
Published
1920
Binding
Hardcover
Quantity Available
1
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Rockville, Maryland, USA
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€561.78

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New York: Harcourt, Brace & Howe, 1920. First Edition, First Printing, Second Issue. Hardcover. Octavo, 541 pages. In Very Good condition lacking dust jacket. Bound in publisher's blue cloth with orange stamping. Boards show light sun-fading to spine and rubbing to boards with binding slightly loose. Textblock is clean with light age toning, small inscription on front end page.… Read more about this item
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€561.78
Main Street
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Main Street

by Lewis, Sinclair

Condition
Used - Good with no dust jacket
Edition
First Edition; Eighteenth Printing
Published
1921
Binding
Hardcover
Quantity Available
1
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Northridge, California, USA
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€421.33

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NY: Harcourt Brace. Good with no dust jacket. 1921. First Edition; Eighteenth Printing. Hardcover. Original cloth. Signed by Lewis to the ffep; signature only. Spine flattened/creased, spine ends frayed, points bumped/exposed. Boards rubbed, small dampstain to rear cover. Rear hinge paper split but hinges are holding. Minor scattered foxing. ; 8vo 8" - 9" tall; 451… Read more about this item
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€421.33
Main Street

Main Street

by Lewis, Sinclair

Condition
Used
Edition
First Edition
Published
1920
Quantity Available
1
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Deep River, Connecticut, USA
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€140.44

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New York: Harcourt, Brace and Howe, 1920. First Edition. First Printing, First Issue. Recently rebacked, resewn, with new end sheets with the original boards and the original cloth back strip applied to the new spine. The contents are in near fine condition. The boards are covered in dark blue cloth with orange outlined… Read more about this item
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€140.44
Main Street
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Main Street

by Sinclair Lewis

Condition
Used - Fair
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1
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Murfreesboro, Tennessee, USA
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€9.36

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New York, Harcourt, Brace, 1930's. A Harbrace Modern Classics edition. No publication date stated, but between 1929 & 1932 according to the list of Lewis' works opposite title page. Condition is fair with defects from age....considerable browning and brittle pages. No writing or marking. No DJ. 5 1/2 x 8".
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€9.36
MAIN STREET

MAIN STREET

by LEWIS, Sinclair

Condition
Used - Some darkening to the spine. Near Fine in a Near Fine slipcase with short splits and lacking a label on the backstrip
Published
1937
Binding
Hardcover
Quantity Available
1
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Fleetwood, Pennsylvania, USA
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€702.22

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Chicago: Limited Editions Club, 1937. Hardcover. Some darkening to the spine. Near Fine in a Near Fine slipcase with short splits and lacking a label on the backstrip. Grant Wood. Small quarto (7-1/2" x 10") bound in flexible gray linen with the spine lettered in blue on a yellow field and the front cover lettered in blue on… Read more about this item
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€702.22
Main Street: The Story Of Carol Kennicott

Main Street: The Story Of Carol Kennicott

by Lewis, Sinclair

Condition
Used - Fair
Jacket Condition
No Jacket
Edition
1st Edition
Published
1920
Binding
Hardcover
Quantity Available
1
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Woodlawn, Illinois, USA
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€37.44

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New York, New York, U. S. A.: Harcourt, Brace And Howe, 1920. 1st Edition . Hardcover. Fair/No Jacket. 12mo - over 6¾ - 7¾" tall. First Edition, Second Impression. The Book Is Bound In Dark Blue Cloth Over Boards With Blue Lettering With A Stamped Ornate Field On The Front And Spine. Author's Name Is Stamped… Read more about this item
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€37.44
MAIN STREET

MAIN STREET

by LEWIS, Sinclair

Condition
Used - Bookplate on front pastedown. Spine a little sunned. Still Near Fine in a darkened but solid slipcase lacking the label on the b
Published
1937
Binding
Hardcover
Quantity Available
1
Seller
Fleetwood, Pennsylvania, USA
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Item Price
€409.63

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Chicago: Limited Editions Club, 1937. Hardcover. Bookplate on front pastedown. Spine a little sunned. Still Near Fine in a darkened but solid slipcase lacking the label on the backstrip. Grant Wood. Small quarto (7-1/2" x 10") bound in flexible gray linen with the spine lettered in blue on a yellow field and the front cover lettered in blue… Read more about this item
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€409.63
Main Street
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Main Street

by Sinclair Lewis

Condition
Used - Good
Published
1920
Quantity Available
1
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Lynchburg, Virginia, USA
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€84.27

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Appears to be First Edition, 1st State, without the battering on pages 54 and 387. Dated 1920 on both title page and copyright page. 451 pages. No jacket. Bookplate on front pastedown. Prior owner name written in pencil on front flypaper, as well as a small pencil note "1st Ed" in corner. Book is in Good condition, with light bumping… Read more about this item
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€84.27
MAIN STREET
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MAIN STREET

by Lewis, Sinclair

Condition
Used
Edition
First Edition, First Printing, Second Issue
Published
1920
Binding
Hardcover
Quantity Available
1
Seller
Rockville, Maryland, USA
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€112.36

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New York: Harcourt, Brace & Howe, 1920. First Edition, First Printing, Second Issue. Hardcover. Octavo, 541 pages; VG-/none: bound in publisher's blue cloth with orange stamping; mild sun-fading to spine, rubbing to extremities; name on ffep; bookplate on front pastedown; First edition, second issue with battered '5' on page 54, and battered "y" in "may" on page 387 … Read more about this item
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€112.36
Main Street.

Main Street.

by Lewis, Sinclair

Condition
Used
Published
1920
Quantity Available
1
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Palm Beach, Florida, USA
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€2,340.75

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New York: Harcourt, Brace and Howe, 1920. First edition, first printing of Lewis' classic work. Octavo, bound in full morocco by the Harcourt Bindery with gilt titles and tooling to the spine in six compartments within raised gilt bands, gilt ruling to the front and rear panel, gilt inner dentelles stamp-signed by the Harcourt Bindery, marbled endpapers, all edges… Read more about this item
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€2,340.75
Main Street: The Story of Carol Kennicott

Main Street: The Story of Carol Kennicott

by LEWIS, Sinclair

Condition
Used - Very Good- with no dust jacket
Edition
First Edition
Published
1920
Binding
Hardcover
Quantity Available
1
Seller
Littleton, Colorado, USA
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€186.32

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New York: Harcourt, Brace and Howe. Very Good- with no dust jacket. 1920. First Edition. Hardcover. A first edition (1920) of Sinclair Lewis's much-admired novel, which tells the story of Carol Kennicott, a sophisticated woman who experiences small town living for the first time after her marriage. American-born, Sinclair Lewis (1885-1951) was awarded the Nobel Prize… Read more about this item
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€186.32
Main Street (Photoplay Edition in Dust Jacket)

Main Street (Photoplay Edition in Dust Jacket)

by Lewis, Sinclair

Condition
Used
Jacket Condition
Yes
Published
1920
Binding
Hardcover
Quantity Available
1
Seller
Bordentown, New Jersey, USA
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€46.82

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NY: Grosset & Dunlap, 1920. Hardcover. Yes. 1920 (1923) First photoplay edition. Illustrated with scenes from the 1923 Warner Brothers' silent film starring Florence Vidor and Monte Blue. Spotting to the cloth and fade to the spine. In the scarce dust jacket which duplicates the design of the jacket of the first edition. Jacket has a touch of… Read more about this item
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€46.82
MAIN STREET
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MAIN STREET

by Lewis, Sinclair

Condition
Used - Good plus
Published
1937
Binding
Hardcover
Quantity Available
1
Seller
Santa Barbara, California, USA
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Item Price
€187.26

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Lakeside Press, Chicago: The Limited Editions Club, 1937. Hardcover. Good plus. Illustrated by Grant Wood. Illustrated by Grant Wood. Hardcover. Limited edition #1320 of 1500 copies. SIGNED by Grant Wood. Quarto. 10 x 8". 367pp. A good copy with clean interior, in original grey flexible boards. Cover darkened on spine and edges. In fair, worn and taped slipcase… Read more about this item
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€187.26
Main Street

Main Street

by Sinclair Lewis

Condition
Used - Good
Published
2016
Binding
Paperback
ISBN 10
0486406555
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1
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Seattle, Washington, USA
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€5.70

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Dover Publications, Incorporated, 2016. Paperback. Good. Pages can have notes/highlighting. Spine may show signs of wear. ~ ThriftBooks: Read More, Spend Less.Dust jacket quality is not guaranteed.
Item Price
€5.70
Main Street

Main Street

by Lewis, Sinclair

Condition
Used - Fine
Published
1978
Binding
Hardcover
Quantity Available
1
Seller
The Woodlands, Texas, USA
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Item Price
€28.09

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Franklin Center, PA: The Franklin Library. Fine. 1978. Hardcover. Bound in black full leather with real 22kt gold decorations. Luxury features include moire endpapers, a sewn-in satin bookmark, gilt page edges, raised bands on the spine, and archival quality paper pages that are sewn (not glued) into the binding. Illustrated by Hal Ashmead. Part of Franklin's… Read more about this item
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€28.09