STEINBECK, John — Burning Bright

New York: The Viking Press, 1950. Experiment in Form - Play and Novel Intertwined A Dramatic Steinbeck, Unusual and Underappreciated STEINBECK, John. Burning Bright. A Play in Story Form. New York: The Viking Press, 1950. First edition. Octavo (7 3/8 x 4 3/4 inches; 187 x 121 mm.). [1-8], 9-159, [1, blank] pp. Publisher's gray cloth, front cover and spine lettered in red, top edge stained red. Original color printed dust jacket, spine faded, with the lightest rubbing to extremities. A fine copy in an excellent dust jacket. An intriguing hybrid work in which Steinbeck deliberately blurs the boundaries between drama and prose fiction. Conceived for both stage and page, Burning Bright presents a symbolic, almost mythic narrative centered on themes of masculinity, identity, and the desire for legacy. Though less commercially successful than his major novels, the work represents a bold formal experiment, reflecting Steinbeck's continued willingness to challenge conventional narrative structures. Goldstone & Payne A27a. .