Sinclair Lewis

The first of Sinclair Lewis's great successes, Main Street shattered the sentimental American myth of happy small-town life with its satire of narrow-minded provincialism. Reflecting his own unhappy childhood in Sauk Centre, Minnesota, Lewis's sixth novel attacked the conformity and dullness he saw in midwestern village life. Young college graduate Carol Milford moves from the city to tiny Gopher Prairie after marrying the local doctor, and tries to bring culture to the small town. But her efforts to reform the prairie village are met by a wall of gossip, greed, conventionality, pitifully unambitious cultural endeavors, and-worst of all-the pettiness and bigotry of small-town minds. Lewis's portrayal of a marriage torn by disillusionment and a woman forced into compromises is at once devastating social satire and persuasive realism. His subtle characterizations and intimate details of small-town America make Main Street a complex and compelling work and established Lewis as an important figure in twentieth-century American literature.

George Babbitt is a forty-six-year-old real estate broker. His job allows him to enjoy many commodities of the middle-class, and offers he and his family a place in an elevated social circle. With three kids, a loving wife, a steady job, and a fair amount of disposable income, George is living the American dream. But despite his privilege, he is dissatisfied with his life, a topic that often arises when he spends time with his closest friend, Paul, who has serious martial issues. One day, they decide to take a vacation together, leaving their family for a relaxing camping trip. Even through ups and downs, the two men feel at ease among the country, appreciating the simultaneous and contrasting simplicity and intricacy that exists in nature. Together, George and Paul decide that even though their lives weren’t perfect, they would do their best to appreciate what they had. After this, both men return home feeling much more optimistic about their lives. However, things take a turn for the worst after one of them does not honor to their pack. When Paul commits a heinous crime that will imprison him for many years, George is distraught. Feeling that his mundane life will be unbearable without Paul’s company, George decides to abandon the rules that held him back before. As George ditches his social circle and begins to cheat on his wife, he falls into the habit of chasing his every whim, leading him to chaos. With themes of American identity, social change, material culture, urbanization, and industrialization, Babbitt by Sinclair Lewis is thought-provoking work of literature grounded in American history and values. First published in 1922, Babbitt is among the first comic depictions of a mid-life crisis, a concept that has remained relevant and relatable to modern audiences. This edition of Babbitt by Sinclair Lewis features a new, eye-catching cover design and is printed in a stylish font, making is both readable and modern.

This work has been selected by scholars as being culturally important and is part of the knowledge base of civilization as we know it.This work is in the public domain in the United States of America, and possibly other nations. Within the United States, you may freely copy and distribute this work, as no entity (individual or corporate) has a copyright on the body of the work.Scholars believe, and we concur, that this work is important enough to be preserved, reproduced, and made generally available to the public. To ensure a quality reading experience, this work has been proofread and republished using a format that seamlessly blends the original graphical elements with text in an easy-to-read typeface.We appreciate your support of the preservation process, and thank you for being an important part of keeping this knowledge alive and relevant.

This work has been selected by scholars as being culturally important and is part of the knowledge base of civilization as we know it.This work is in the public domain in the United States of America, and possibly other nations. Within the United States, you may freely copy and distribute this work, as no entity (individual or corporate) has a copyright on the body of the work.Scholars believe, and we concur, that this work is important enough to be preserved, reproduced, and made generally available to the public. To ensure a quality reading experience, this work has been proofread and republished using a format that seamlessly blends the original graphical elements with text in an easy-to-read typeface.We appreciate your support of the preservation process, and thank you for being an important part of keeping this knowledge alive and relevant.

George Babbitt is a forty-six-year-old real estate broker. His job allows him to enjoy many commodities of the middle-class, and offers he and his family a place in an elevated social circle. With three kids, a loving wife, a steady job, and a fair amount of disposable income, George is living the American dream. But despite his privilege, he is dissatisfied with his life, a topic that often arises when he spends time with his closest friend, Paul, who has serious martial issues. One day, they decide to take a vacation together, leaving their family for a relaxing camping trip. Even through ups and downs, the two men feel at ease among the country, appreciating the simultaneous and contrasting simplicity and intricacy that exists in nature. Together, George and Paul decide that even though their lives weren’t perfect, they would do their best to appreciate what they had. After this, both men return home feeling much more optimistic about their lives. However, things take a turn for the worst after one of them does not honor to their pack. When Paul commits a heinous crime that will imprison him for many years, George is distraught. Feeling that his mundane life will be unbearable without Paul’s company, George decides to abandon the rules that held him back before. As George ditches his social circle and begins to cheat on his wife, he falls into the habit of chasing his every whim, leading him to chaos. With themes of American identity, social change, material culture, urbanization, and industrialization, Babbitt by Sinclair Lewis is thought-provoking work of literature grounded in American history and values. First published in 1922, Babbitt is among the first comic depictions of a mid-life crisis, a concept that has remained relevant and relatable to modern audiences. This edition of Babbitt by Sinclair Lewis features a new, eye-catching cover design and is printed in a stylish font, making is both readable and modern.

First published in 1925, Sinclair Lewis' "Arrowsmith" is the fascinating tale of a man torn between the pursuit of scientific knowledge and the demands of everyday domestic life. "Arrowsmith" was published to great critical acclaim, being awarded the Pulitzer Prize in 1926, and has endured as the author's most popular novel. It is the story of Martin Arrowsmith, an intelligent and scientific young man who leaves his small Midwestern hometown to attend medical school and become a doctor. Along the way he lives his personal life haphazardly while he struggles to devote more of his time and attention to his scientific endeavors. The tension between his family and his life of rigorous and exacting scientific pursuit come to a dramatic head during an outbreak of bubonic plague on a tropical island. Martin must make difficult decisions between his principles, his research, and his ethical obligations. "Arrowsmith" is a well-researched and detailed description of medical training and practice, as well as an intense character study and thought-provoking examination of the tension that exists between everyday life and the rigorous pursuit of scientific inquiry. This edition is printed on premium acid-free paper.

First published in 1922, "Babbitt" is Sinclair Lewis' satire of American culture in the early part of the 20th century. In the years following World War I Americans began to idealize the middle-class lifestyle as a symbol of success, one crucial to the American identity. The successful self-made family man living in a Midwestern town began to symbolize the "American Dream". The titular character of this novel, George F. Babbitt, is one such man. Babbitt is a successful middle-aged partner in a real estate firm who is married with three kids living in the fictional Midwestern town of Zenith. While having achieved the "American Dream" Babbitt gradually begins to feel a lack of fulfillment with how his life has turned out. He is a man unaware of the contemporary social and economic conditions that exist outside his own small circle. This lack of awareness begins to become increasingly apparent to him and a feeling of consternation sets in. Controversial upon its first publication for its criticism of what many Americans believed to be the ideal life, "Babbitt" is at once the tale of a middle-life crisis and a satirical critique of the vacuity of middle-class American life. This edition is printed on premium acid-free paper and includes an introduction by Hugh Walpole.

In this classic, Sinclair Lewis shattered the sentimental American myth of happy small-town life with its satire. Main Street attacks the conformity and dullness of early 20th Century mid western village life in the story of Carol Milford, the city girl who marries the town doctor. Her efforts to bring culture to the prairie village are met by a wall of gossip, greed, and petty small-minded bigotry. We are delighted to publish this classic book as part of our extensive Classic Library collection. Many of the books in our collection have been out of print for decades, and therefore have not been accessible to the general public. The aim of our publishing program is to facilitate rapid access to this vast reservoir of literature, and our view is that this is a significant literary work, which deserves to be brought back into print after many decades. The contents of the vast majority of titles in the Classic Library have been scanned from the original works. To ensure a high quality product, each title has been meticulously hand curated by our staff. Our philosophy has been guided by a desire to provide the reader with a book that is as close as possible to ownership of the original work. We hope that you will enjoy this wonderful classic work, and that for you it becomes an enriching experience.

'An eerily prescient foreshadowing of current affairs' Guardian'Not only Lewis's most important book but one of the most important books ever produced in the United States' New YorkerA vain, outlandish, anti-immigrant, fearmongering demagogue runs for President of the United States - and wins. Sinclair Lewis's chilling 1935 bestseller is the story of Buzz Windrip, 'Professional Common Man', who promises poor, angry voters that he will make America proud and prosperous once more, but takes the country down a far darker path. As the new regime slides into authoritarianism, newspaper editor Doremus Jessup can't believe it will last - but is he right? This cautionary tale of liberal complacency in the face of populist tyranny shows it really can happen here.