The Moon is Down: A Novel

New York: The Viking Press, 1942. First Edition. Hard Cover. Good/Good. 7x5x0. First edition, second state (no period typo on p. 112, Haddon Craftsmen mentioned on copyright page. Very good in good jacket. Jacket rubbed and toned, two tears on top rear jacket edge with crease between, jacket price clipped. 1942 Hard Cover. 188 pp. 8vo. Original blue cloth, silver titles. A military novella clearly intended to mirror World War II and the occupation by the Nazis, although in this story the occupying nation remains unnamed. It was written to encourage resistance among the oppressed. The Moon Is Down, a novel by John Steinbeck fashioned for adaptation for the theatre and for which Steinbeck received the Norwegian King Haakon VII Freedom Cross, was published by Viking Press in March 1942. The story tells of the military occupation of a small town in Northern Europe by the army of an unnamed nation at war with England and Russia (much like the occupation of Norway by the Germans during World War II). A French language translation of the book was published illegally in Nazi-occupied France by Les Editions de Minuit, a French Resistance publishing house. Furthermore, numerous other editions were also secretly published across all of occupied Europe, including Norwegian, Danish, Dutch, and Italian versions (as well as a Swedish version); it was the best known work of U.S. literature in the Soviet Union during the war. Although the text never names the occupying force as German, references to 'The Leader,' 'Memories of defeats in Belgium and France 20 years ago' clearly suggest it. Written with a purpose to motivate and enthuse the resistance movements in occupied countries, the book has appeared in at least 92 editions across the world.