The Jungle – Upton Sinclair – 1906 | First Edition, First Printing

This first edition, first printing of Upton Sinclair’s The Jungle, published by Doubleday, Page & Company in New York in February 1906, features the correct first-printing identifiers, including the statement “Published February, 1906” and an unbroken numeral “1” on the copyright page. Bound in original pictorial cloth depicting a factory skyline in black and white. The novel famously exposed corruption, immigrant exploitation, and brutal industrial practices within Chicago’s meatpacking industry. Sinclair’s narrative combined fiction with investigative reporting, influencing public debate, labor activism, and federal regulatory reform during the Progressive Era.

Bibliographic Details

• Title: The Jungle
• Author(s): Upton Sinclair
• Illustrator(s):
• Contributor(s):
• Publisher: New York, Doubleday, Page & Co.
• Edition: First Edition, First Printing. February, 1906.
  • “Published February, 1906” on copyright page
  • Number “1” in date on copyright page with perfect type
• Format: Octavo, single volume
• Binding: Publisher’s cloth, white lettering, black-and-white image
• Size: ~ 8 in x 5.5 in (20 cm x 14 cm)
• Collation: [8], 413 pp
• Provenance: Handwritten signature of [Irving Segwolt]

Condition:

Very Good. Original olive cloth binding with factory vignette stamped on front board in black and white. Mild rubbing to edges and spine tips. Spine titling slightly dulled but legible. Binding tight and text block clean with no markings beyond a single handwritten name on the front flyleaf. A remarkably preserved example.

Why Collect This?

• True first edition, first printing of a literary classic!
• Strong condition for a high-impact American novel
• Iconic muckraking novel that influenced U.S. policy
• Original binding with pictorial industrial scene
• Highly significant in American labor and literary history