The Heavy Hands Of Mice and Men

Many factors go into making a book rare and/or valuable.  The book’s age, how many copies still exist, who owned it, and so on.  One very common criterion is whether or not the book is a “First Edition”, the first printing of the book.  Well, it is possible to narrow this down even more.  You can have a “first printing” of a book, and a “first state” of the book.

miceA first printing is pretty obvious.  It is the first printing of the book.  But a particularly popular book may have many printings.  A first state printing, means that at some time during this first printing, a change was made somewhere in the book–an error corrected, something omitted added, and so on.

Such was the case with John Steinbeck’s Of Mice and Men.  During the first printing of this controversial classic, a line describing Lennie was changed in the first chapter.  It originally read “His arms did not swing at his sides, but hung loosely and only moved because the heavy hands were pendula.”  Whether it was the obscure word or questionable spelling, it was decided to mice2remove the last nine words and reset the page.  There is also a problem with a page number later that was fixed. However 2, 500 uncorrected pages had already run through and were subsequently bound and sold; the first state of the first printing.

When rare book dealers talk about Of Mice and Men, they are quick to note whether their copy contains the “pendula” line and the dot between the two eights on page 88.  It adds considerably to the value and scarcity of the book.  The copy in the Galvin Rare Book Room is a first state printing in excellent condition, part of the Mark Lutz Collection.  Lennie would be so proud.

One thought on “The Heavy Hands Of Mice and Men

  1. Laura Cavaluzzo

    Hello! I realize this blog post is several years old, but I’m hoping the author might still be there, or that someone else might be able to help me solve a mystery.

    I have a first edition Of Mice and Men, and although I can determine definitively that it is not the first printing (no bullet in page number 88; no “pendula” on pg 9), I can’t figure out if it’s the second printing…or maybe a third? Rare book sellers seem to be all over the map on what identifies the “second state.” Some say it should have the $2 price on the front flap of the dust jacket…others don’t mention that (mine has it’s original dust jacket — not a facsimile–but does not have the price or show signs of the price being trimmed off). Some say the hallmark of the 2nd edition is St Katy the Virgin listed among Steinbeck’s other works across from the title page. The true first edition doesn’t have that, and neither does mine…Did the publisher really add it for the second printing of the first edition and then remove it again later? That seems unlikely….

    So…I know I have a first edition that is NOT the first printing..,but without the price and without St Katy, which printing DO I have?

    Reply

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