First editions of novels by John Steinbeck achieved record prices on his home turf last Sunday, February 18th. The Bonham & Butterfield’s auction included a large collection of Steinbeck novels previously owned by the author’s deceased sister, Elizabeth Steinbeck Ainsworth. According to Catherine Williamson, director of books and manuscripts for Bonham’s, the Steinbeck family auctioned the books to pay for renovations to the writer’s Pacific Grove bungalow, where some of his books were written. Five of the books were purchased by a San Francisco Bay area antiquarian bookseller who specializes in Steinbeck.
The works sold included the above mentioned first edition of
The Grapes of Wrath (for which he won the Pulitzer Prize in 1940) which sold for $47,800. First editions of East of Eden brought $8,365,
Of Mice and Men $7,768, and
In Dubious Battle $11,353. John Steinbeck was awarded the Nobel Prize for Literature in 1962.
