Sweet Thursday — John Steinbeck | First UK Edition, 1954

A first British edition of John Steinbeck's Sweet Thursday, published by William Heinemann in 1954. The novel is Steinbeck's sequel to Cannery Row, returning to Monterey's familiar cast of characters and introducing Suzy, whose relationship with Doc forms the heart of the story.

The copyright page states "First Published 1954," identifying this as the first UK edition and first impression.

An especially appealing feature of this copy is the original bookseller's label on the front pastedown:

W. H. Smith & Son — English & French Books — 248 Rue de Rivoli, Paris

This small period label provides an interesting piece of provenance, showing that this British edition once passed through W. H. Smith's Paris bookshop.

Bound in the publisher's original dark green cloth. The boards retain good color with relatively modest general wear. The spine has experienced pronounced sun fading from its original dark green to an olive-brown, with the gilt title and author lettering substantially faded but still discernible. A lighter circular spot is present toward the lower portion of the spine.

Internally, the book presents very nicely for its age. Pages are clean and well preserved with mild age toning and little apparent foxing. Binding and text block remain sound. No dust jacket is present.

A pleasing, affordable example of a first UK edition of one of Steinbeck's classic Monterey novels, made more distinctive by its surviving Paris bookseller's label.