Description
The first edition, first printing of All The King’s Men by Robert Penn Warren, in the publisher’s first state dust jacket.
Octavo, [8], 464pp, [8]. Maroon hardcover, title stamped in gilt on the spine. Stated “first edition” on the copyright page. Solid text block, internally clean. Small blemish along fore edge of text block. In the publisher’s first state dust jacket, $3.00 on the front flap, blurb by Sinclair Lewis on rear panel, corners of flaps clipped (as expected), closed tear along rear hinge, bright illustrations.
A bright example of the scarce first state dust jacket.
All the King’s Men by Robert Penn Warren, which won the Pulitzer Prize for Fiction in 1947, originated from a verse play Warren wrote in 1939 titled Proud Flesh. The book draws heavily on the life of Louisiana governor Huey Long, although it is a work of fiction. It was serialized in Harper’s Magazine in 1946 prior to full publication.