John Steinbeck: Tortilla Flat [1957]

John Steinbeck, *Tortilla Flat*, Warsaw 1957

(Czytelnik Publishing Cooperative; translated by Jan Zakrzewski; illustrated by Jan Młodożeniec; first Polish edition)

John Steinbeck’s *Tortilla Flat* was published in New York in 1935. It is a story about Danny, his friends, and his home, which, as the author writes on the very first page, resembled the legend of the Round Table. In 1942, MGM adapted the novel into a film starring Spencer Tracy and Hedy Lamarr. Steinbeck was awarded the Nobel Prize in 1962.

The first Polish edition, translated by Jan Zakrzewski, was published by “Czytelnik” in November 1957, with a print run of 10,205 copies. The dust jacket and illustrations in the text were created by Jan Młodożeniec (1929–2000), a graphic artist and poster designer who studied under Henryk Tomaszewski.

A clean copy with its original paperback cover intact. It underwent conservation treatment at the Antykwariat Polski workshop. The book block was mechanically cleaned, and the sections were re-sewn by hand, restoring the volume’s structural stability.

A leather-bound volume handcrafted from the finest materials by master artisans at the Antykwariat Polski bookbindery. Natural leather, with a marbled paper endpaper.

The mission of Antykwariat Polski is based on a simple belief: good books deserve to endure. Not as exhibits behind glass, but as living objects—bound with the utmost artisanal care, ready for future generations in their owner’s library.