THE JUNGLE
New York: Doubleday, Page & Company, 1906. First Edition. Hardcover. Publisher's green decorated cloth. First issue with unbroken "1" on the copyright page. This Doubleday issue was published simultaneously with the Jungle Publishing issue. Sinclair's powerful exposure of the Chicago meat-packing industry is an account of the social and human abuses of the yards, where packers used "everything about the hog except the squeal." This expose led to major reforms in the industry and, along with UNCLE TOM'S CABIN, is one of the few American novels to have a lasting impact on the way we live our lives. Indeed, when this book was published Jack London said, "What Uncle Tom's Cabin did for black slaves, The Jungle has a large chance to do for the white slaves of today." President Theodore Roosevelt was so shocked by what he read that he made sure a clean meat act, the Pure Food and Drug Bill, was signed into law, popularizing at the time the rather obscure term "muckraker." Later in life, Sinclair said of his masterpiece: "I aimed at the public's heart and by accident I hit it in the stomach." Small upper section of front endpaper torn away. Bright, Near Fine example. Item #022215
Price: $450.00