Sanctuary was published by Jonathan Cape & Harrison Smith, New York, on 9 February 1931, in a first printing of approximately 3,519 copies priced at $2.50. Faulkner famously claimed to have written the original manuscript in three weeks “to make money” after the commercial failure of The Sound and the Fury and the modest reception of As I Lay Dying. He later revised it substantially in galley proofs — at his own expense — because the original version seemed too “cheap.” The revision was extensive: he restructured the chronology, rewrote many scenes, and significantly altered the ending.
The Novel
Sanctuary tells the story of Temple Drake, a seventeen-year-old Ole Miss coed from a prominent Memphis family, who is kidnapped by Popeye — a gangster and bootlegger — after a series of events at a rural moonshiner’s compound. Temple is raped with a corncob (the novel’s most notorious detail, never stated explicitly but unmistakable), held captive in a Memphis brothel, and eventually “rescued” — though not before her silence helps convict an innocent man, Lee Goodwin, who is lynched by a mob.
The novel is genuinely disturbing — not for its violence (which is implied rather than described) but for its vision of a world where evil operates without consequence and respectability is a mask for cowardice. Temple is not merely a victim; she is complicit in her own degradation, and her testimony at Goodwin’s trial is a deliberate lie. Popeye — impotent, mechanical, and dead-eyed — is evil without grandeur, without even the dignity of motive.
Reception and Controversy
Sanctuary was Faulkner’s first commercial success — it sold well, was widely reviewed, and made him famous (or infamous). Critics were divided: some recognised the novel’s power and formal sophistication; others dismissed it as sensationalism. The Modern Library edition (1932) included an introduction by Faulkner in which he claimed the book was “a cheap idea… deliberately conceived to make money.” This was characteristically disingenuous — the galley revisions alone demonstrate serious artistic engagement.
The novel’s reputation has fluctuated. It was for decades considered a minor or disreputable Faulkner work — a potboiler that embarrassed its author. Since the 1980s, scholars have re-evaluated it as one of Faulkner’s most daring and unsettling achievements: a proto-noir that anticipates Jim Thompson and James Ellroy, and a forensic examination of Southern gentility’s capacity for self-deception.
Collecting Sanctuary
First edition (1931, Jonathan Cape & Harrison Smith): Approximately 3,519 copies, priced at $2.50.
Identification points:
- “First Published, February, 1931” on the copyright page
- Published by “Jonathan Cape & Harrison Smith”
- Pink/mauve cloth boards
- Top edge stained dark pink/red
First edition, first printing:
- Fine/Fine in dust jacket: $15,000–$35,000
- Near Fine in jacket: $7,000–$15,000
- Without jacket: $800–$2,000
The dust jacket is white/cream with a dramatic Art Deco design. It is extremely scarce — the combination of a small print run, Depression-era publication, and the book’s scandalous reputation (many copies were discarded or hidden) makes jacketed copies rare.
Modern Library edition (1932): Contains Faulkner’s famous introduction. Collected at $100–$500 in jacket.
Signed copies: Very scarce from this period. Later Faulkner signatures on first editions occasionally appear.
Value trajectory (2016–2026): Approximately 1.5× for jacketed copies. Scholarly re-evaluation and the general appreciation of Faulkner firsts continue to support prices.
Frequently Asked Questions
Did Faulkner really write this just for money? No. His claim to have written a “cheap” book for commercial reasons was self-mythologising. The extensive galley revisions (which he paid for himself) demonstrate serious artistic intent. The finished novel is a carefully constructed work.
Is there a sequel? Requiem for a Nun (1951) continues Temple Drake’s story. She is now married to Gowan Stevens (the man whose drunkenness caused the original catastrophe) and must confront her past when her nursemaid is accused of murder.
How explicit is the violence? The novel’s most notorious events are implied rather than described. Faulkner’s technique is elliptical — he cuts away from the violence and reveals its consequences through fragments, reactions, and silences. This makes the novel more disturbing, not less.