Book Description
For nearly a century, the original version of Upton Sinclair's classic novel has remained almost entirely unknown. When it was published in serial form in 1905, it was a full third longer than the censored, commercial edition published in book form the following year. That expurgated commercial edition edited out much of the ethnic flavor of the original, as well as some of the goriest descriptions of the meat-packing industry and much of Sinclair's most pointed social and political commentary. The text of this new edition is as it appeared in the original uncensored edition of 1905. It contains the full 36 chapters as originally published, rather than the 31 of the expurgated edition. A new foreword describes the discovery in the 1980s of the original edition and its subsequent suppression, and a new introduction places the novel in historical context by explaining the pattern of censorship in the shorter commercial edition.


About the Author
Upton Sinclair was a journalist and the author of over two dozen books, including Oil!, King Coal, and The Brass Check. He was a prominent social and political activist who narrowly missed being elected governor of California in 1934.

FROM THE PUBLISHER

For nearly a century, the original version of Upton Sinclair's classic novel has remained almost entirely unknown. When it was published in serial form in 1905, it was a full third longer than the censored, commercial edition published in book form the following year. That expurgated commercial edition edited out much of the ethnic flavor of the original, as well as some of the goriest descriptions of the meat-packing industry and much of Sinclair's most pointed social and political commentary. The text of this new edition is as it appeared in the original uncensored edition of 1905. It contains the full 36 chapters as originally published, rather than the 31 of the expurgated edition. A new foreword describes the discovery in the 1980s of the original edition and its subsequent suppression, and a new introduction places the novel in historical context by explaining the pattern of censorship in the shorter commercial edition.

Author Biography: Upton Sinclair was a journalist and the author of over two dozen books, including Oil!, King Coal, and The Brass Check. He was a prominent social and political activist who narrowly missed being elected governor of California in 1934.

SYNOPSIS

The Doubleday edition is cited in Books for College Libraries, 3rd ed. The current edition, predating the changes Sinclair (1878-1968) made for the original publisher of the book, includes a number of incidents deemed too gory for publication, as well as a new introduction by Kathleen De Grave explaining what was censored and why. Annotation ©2003 Book News, Inc., Portland, OR

FROM THE CRITICS

Library Journal