NY: W.W. Norton & Company, 1963. First edition (full number line present on copyright page). 410pp. Grey paper over boards, blue quarter-cloth; in the second-issue dust jacket with Virgilia Peterson quote on front panel and $5.95 front flap price. Mild wavering to top of a section of leaves at center (presumably moisture-related, but with no dampstaining at all). Else near fine in an unclipped jacket, lightly rubbed and edgeworn, with a paperclip indent at head of spine panel.
Attractive first printing of Friedan's monumental study of mid-century gender inequity, which nearly single-handedly ushered in second-wave feminism. Friedan argues that the dissatisfaction rampant among post-war American women was the direct result of the "feminine mystique," a limiting trope of passivity then prevalent in mainstream culture. Written in a persuasive and easily relatable manner, the book resonated with readers and quickly became a runaway hit, selling more than one million copies during its first year in print. Though not without its blind spots—Friedan concerns herself almost exclusively with the plight of white, middle-class women—the book's importance as a catalyst of social upheaval in the 1960s and 1970s cannot be overstated. As such, it remains widely regarded as one of the 20th century's most influential works of nonfiction.
