Product Description
The Third Edition of the classic history of Cannery Row now has over 200 archival photos, many from original negatives in this completely new and updated history of Ocean View Avenue, Monterey, California, in its history as the Sardine Capital of the World and locale of John Steinbeck's world-famous 1945 novel, Cannery Row. ... Read more

Customer Reviews (1)

A look back into the past
Page after page of black and white photographs vividly evoke the Cannery Row of days long gone, when the cannery whistles blew to call the workers down to the shoreline of Monterey Bay. You can almost smell the over-powering stink of fish oil and fish meal and fish guts, hear the clank of Southern Pacific freight trains lumbering over the points laden with cans of sardines and salmon for distant markets. Michael Hemp's lively commentary on the photographs adds background and history without overwhelming the casual reader with detail. The section on Ed Flanders Ricketts, the model Steinbeck used for Doc and many other characters in his fiction, is particularly interesting to those who know little about this revolutionary marine biologist. Good maps help visitors orient themselves to existing buildings like Kalisa's La Ida Cafe (still serving up hot coffee and bellydancers since 1958), the Wing Chong Market, and Ricketts' Lab. ... Read more

Product Description
Steinbeck's only work of political satire turns the French Revolution on its head, as amateur astronomer Pippin Heristal is drafted in to rule the unruly French. Enchanting comedy ensues as Steinbeck creates the most hilarious royal court ever around the brief, bold reign of the corduroy-clad Pippin, his social-climbing wife Maria, his star-struck daughter Clotilde and her Californian beau, Todd. Featuring a motley crew of courtiers and con men, guards and gardeners, Steinbeck's late comic novel is an entrancing read about politics, power and the daily struggle not to lose one's head! ... Read more

Customer Reviews (1)

Short and Sweet
True to Steinbeck, this novel hits emotions on many levels. One of his more humourous works, The Short Reign of Pippin IV chronicles a man's journey from an average guy to king and back. It's short, it's funny, and it's a classic. A must-read for any fan of Steinbeck or parodying the French! ... Read more

Product Description
Andromeda Romano-Lax, with her husband and two children, set out to explore the dazzling waters of the Sea of Cortez in a 24-foot sailboat. Inspired by Steinbeck’s famous 1940 book The Log from the Sea of Cortez, the author quickly proves herself an experienced and lyrical guide to one of North America’s most unusual and rugged places. Her vivid descriptions of the abundant marine life turn readers into armchair naturalists. An encounter with a mentally unbalanced skipper, a baseball game with local villagers, and a kayaking trip in a violent storm are among the adventures — and misadventures — Romano-Lax chronicles here. Including a map, a delightful blend of adventure, science, and philosophy, Searching for Steinbeck’s Sea of Cortez is a memorable trip to some of the most biologically diverse waters in the world. ... Read more

Customer Reviews (8)

A good try
but I am not sure that anyone could really recreate the voyage of the western flyer and capture the same magic.The Sea of Cortez is different and so are the players.

Dull and slow at the start and unfocused
There were so many ways of tackling what could have been a splendid sea voyage.Instead, it appeared to have been a taxing, challenging, emotional and financial disappointment for the crew.

Although the book picks up in pace and focus at page 133 on, the author was confusing toward the reader in not letting us know at the beginning what this book was about.Was it truly to discover Steinbeck's old route, was it to explore the sealife of the Cortez waters?Was it a family sailing trip with a grumpy captain and a toddler who wailed and vomited almost daily?Was it just a mundane journal of a sea voyage gone wrong?I really wanted to enjoy this book and tried hard.

Sometimes I felt lost with the nautical or marine terminology.That's why I only gave this book three stars instead of four. The author becomes more of an environmentalist toward the end as well, ranting about how Mexico and its people and the tourists should take better care of the shores and the Marine life or else so many fragile ecosystems will perish, as they surely have since Steinbeck's time.

The family didn't truthfully follow the Steinbeck/Ricketts voyage as the four spent more time in northern Baja along the coast, a region so unlike the southern Baja with its colder climates and gustier winds.Since I live in Arizona and the Sea of Cortez is only a four-hour drive on Mexican backroads, I was especially wanting to read more on that part of the waters.But, that part of the trip came toward the end of the journey and was a hasty finale void of many more detailed observations given at the start of the book.

I will agree with other reviewers who said Andromeda was very critical of her former brother-in-law.She seemed critical of EVERYONE.Sometimes her descriptions of the Mexicans was downright rude, based on whatever bad experience she was going through at the time.In fact, she comes across as a very critical person toward everything, which makes enjoying her book hard.

The end, like many mediocre travelogues, ends anticlimactically.Time and money ran out and so did the book. The end meant an end of the sour mood and that was a relief.Still, I was left wondering what the main purpose was of this book?There were so many things the travelers should and could have done better through more thorough planning and better accomodations.The two young children would have been happier, too and not been so traumatized by some of the incidents that they endured toward the end.

Author is a whiner - it's tiresome - and there's NO INDEX
I agree with another reviewer who stated that the continual and constant trashing of the author's brother-in-law gets old real quick. But to make matters worse - she has a whining attitude about almost everything. Read Sparky's book - good tales by a contemporary who was on the cruise with Steinbeck. Worst of all - THE BOOK HAS NO INDEX - no way of looking up place names, creature names, etc. It's worthless as an on-the-spot guide.

Or how to pay for your two month vacation in Baja...
I love Baja (visited at least annually for 20-plus years), and Steinbeck books, so the title of this book snookered me into buying it.When I heard someone had written a book to recreate the destinations of that earlier trip I eagerly sought it out. Misleading and disappointing.Frequent allusions/comparisons to Steinbeck/Ricketts' "Log" don't change the fact that this wasn't an expedition in any way, shape, or form...but simply an extended family vacation conducted on the cheap!The resultant book (with nothing but an intriquing title)was merely the way to pay for it. The first half of the book was mostly spent unnecessarily beating up on the poor brother-in-law, whom had volunteered to accompany the author (and her husband and small kids)and sail the very small borrowed sailboat. Five people on a 26 footer.Nearly anyone whom has spent much time in Baja has readily duplicated or exceeded the experiences reported in this book. Unfortunately I read the entire thing, presuming it would just have to get better, but no such luck. Funny how a title (and a pretty cover) can sell a book.

A Mixed Bag
Parts of this book are highly interesting, but others would have better been omitted.What I liked most about the book were the author's insights into the book that inspired her and her husband's journey - Steinbeck's Log from the Sea of Cortez.For anyone who shares a fascination with the Log from the Sea of Cortez, as I do, the author provides valuable background information on the book and the trip that inspired it.On the downside, the author seems fixated on trashing her brother-in-law, who piloted the boat her family used in attempting to re-create Steinbeck's journey.Obviously there was a personality conflict here, and her extended diatribes (which seemingly take up a full third of the book) seem mean-spirited and unwarranted.The book would have been vastly better if all of this material had been removed. ... Read more

Product Description
An Approach to John Steinbeck's Works-Two-The Red Pony

Students' Academy

About John Steinbeck 4
Childhood and Early Life 6
Steinbeck’s Literary Career 11
World War II 16
New York 18
Nobel Prize 21
Legacy 24
Literary Influence 26
Commemoration 28
Steinbeck’s Political Views 31
Steinbeck’s Major Works 34
Introduction to “The Red Pony” 37
Summary in Brief 38
Major Characters 42
Summary and Analysis 45
The Gift 45
Analysis 50
The Great Mountains 56
Analysis 58
The Promise 63
Analysis 66
The Leader of the People 69
Analysis 72
Critical Commentary 77


........................................................

Print ISBN: 978-0-557-72751-3 ... Read more

Product Description
Just after the iron curtain fell on Eastern Europe John Steinbeck and acclaimed war photographer, Robert Capa ventured into the Soviet Union to report for the "New York Herald Tribune". This rare opportunity took the famous travelers not only to Moscow and Stalingrad - now Volgograd - but through the countryside of the Ukraine and the Caucasus. A "Russian Journal" is the distillation of their journey and remains a remarkable memoir and unique historical document. Steinbeck and Capa recorded the grim realities of factory workers, government clerks, and peasants, as they emerged from the rubble of World War II. This is an intimate glimpses of two artists at the height of their powers, answering their need to document human struggle. ... Read more

Customer Reviews (9)

Steinbeck's Russian Experience
A Russian Journal is the first piece of nonfiction I've read by John Steinbeck.In 1948, Steinbeck and noted photographer Robert Capa undertook a tour through Russia in order to gain perspective of the Russian people.They weren't interested in politics or the government, but in the average Russian citizen.Their adventures in Moscow, Volograd, the Ukraine, and Georgia are related with Steinbeck's customary wry wit.Capa's photographs have a poignancy of their own, although it would have been nice to see them reproduced a bit larger.

On their journey, Steinbeck and Capa encounter comradeship, frustration, humor, music, and a ton of local food.His descriptions of the various meals they enjoyed in Russia was worth reading the whole book for.Having never been there, I can only hope that this book provided a realistic portrayal of the country at the time it was written.Especially interesting to me was the reverence for Franklin Roosevelt that they found as well as the desire for continued peace with the West.An excellent reminder that people are usually goodhearted, no matter what region they call home.Highly recommended.

The Human Experience in Steinbeck Fashion
I read A Russian Journal upon returning home from a two-month stint of teaching in Moscow and was excited to dive into another Steinbeck. Not surprisingly, Steinbeck offers a truthful and compassionate portrayal of the human experience through eyes which seem to dissolve cultural barriers. Respectfully intruding into the lives of normal people during post World War II Soviet Union, Steinbeck, accompanied by Robert Capa, documents the thoughts, work ethics, and questions of those who the rest of 1940s America failed to understand. Forging ahead behind the iron curtain, Steinbeck retells tales of normal, family-oriented, hard-working people found in the midst of his travels through the countryside who in many ways were no different than the Americans who feared and often disdained them.

Most remarkably to me, Steinbeck tells of a Moscow that is relatively unchanged today. Incredibly, this slice of Russian culture has remained the same in many ways though it has experienced such a turbulent century. I would recommend A Russian Journal to anyone planning on visiting Russia soon (because it is still relevant) and also to anyone who enjoys Steinbeck. It is simple, heartfelt, and relatively unbiased in its attempts to portray normal life in another culture. Its style is easily comparable to Travels With Charley, although I believe because Steinbeck understands his own American culture so much more richly, he is able to portray connections and summations about what he experiences much more definitively in Travels With Charley. Regardless, A Russian Journal is certainly an interesting and enjoyable read.

Really interesting book
I think this book is wonderful and very very interesting.
I like the style of Steinbeck and I have enjoyed all his books that I have read.
This book shows the life in the Soviet Union (they visit Moscow, Ukraine and Georgia) shortly after the war, when people are trying to rebuild their lives after the war. I`d say that mainly they are pretty enthusiastic about that and believe in the better future to be achieved by the hard work...
In the time of edgy relations between Soviet Union and USA, this book shows that the russians and the americans both are people just like others...

Loved It
I'm a photographer and huge admirer of both Capa and Steinbeck, but I wasn't sure what to expect with this book. In fact, it's totally readable, wonderfully informal and very engaging -- something of a page turner. You get a vivid picture of the strength and dignity of the Russian people after the terrible destruction of the war, and also an entertaining sense of the relationship between Capa & Steinbeck and their Russian hosts. Their trip took place in 1948, just as the cold war began, and it offers unique insight into how the people of Russia see the USA -- namely as an important and admired friend.

Unfortunately, the pictures, while fascinating, are not well served by the paperback printing. But given the paper quality and the small size of the book, they're about as good as they can be. I suspect that a hardcover would do the pictures more justice.

Great book, but buy in hardback - photo quality in the 1999 edition is poor
This is a great book, but you should buy a hardback edition instead of the paperback.I am a frequent visitor to Russia and I enjoyed the oportunity to compare and contrast Russia today with postwar Russia under Stalin.Unfortunately, Robert Capa's photos in the 1999 paperback are small and muddy.I could not even recognize places that I have visited many times.This book was a collaborative effort, but the 1999 printing seriously short changes Capa's contribution.

I don't know if the images are better in the 2001 paperback or the Kindle version, but after reading the 1999 edition I got a copy of the 1948 hardback via Amazon.I recommend that you do the same if you want to fully enjoy this excellent work. ... Read more

Product Description
This book guides readers through these and other important Steinbeck works, particularly those that are most often taught, including The Pearl (1945), The Red Pony (1933), and significant short fiction. Clear analysis of each work includes discussions of character development, plot and setting, thematic treatment, historical contexts, and alternate critical readings. A biographical chapter, as well as an examination of the author's contributions and career, helps readers gain a sense of Steinbeck the man and his position as one of America's most important writers. ... Read more

Customer Reviews (1)

All his novels
Peter Lisca's book is an intelligent review of Steinbeck's novels.In it he links up all the novels and gives a kind of charted history of when and under what circumstances STeinbeck wrote his novels.He explores the themes in the novels and links them with each other.For example, when talking about land in Grapes of Wrath he links back with man's relationship to land in To a God Unknown.I found his introduction one of the most interesting chapters in the book as LIsca has given a kind of history of criticism of Steinbeck's works.He is not always in STeinbeck's corner when it comes to some of his works which is a refreshing and interesting point of view.As one who is writing a thesis on STeinbeck at the moment I found the book very interesting, very helpful and incredibly easy to read.I would recommond this for anybody who is interested in STeinbeck's work. ... Read more

Product Description
An Approach to John Steinbeck's Works-Three-The Pearl

Students' Academy

About John Steinbeck 5
Childhood and Early Life 7
Steinbeck’s Literary Career 12
World War II 17
New York 19
Nobel Prize 22
Legacy 25
Literary Influence 27
Commemoration 29
Steinbeck’s Political Views 32
Steinbeck’s Major Works 35
Introduction to “The Pearl” 38
Some Facts about “The Pearl” 41
Summary in Brief 45
Characters 49
About Major Characters 52
Themes 56
Motifs 59
Symbols 62
Summary and Analysis 70
Chapter 1 70
Critical Analysis 72
Chapter 2 76
Critical Analysis 77
Chapter 3 80
Critical Analysis 84
Chapter 4 88
Critical Analysis 92
Chapter 5 96
Critical Analysis 99
Chapter 6 102
Critical Analysis 107
........................................................

Print ISBN: 978-0-557-72896-1 ... Read more

Product Description

Customer Reviews (3)

You don't have to be in CA to enjoy this book
While this book works wonderfully as a travel guide for your visit to California's Salinas, Carmel and the Monterey Peninsula, it is equally enjoyable when you read it from the comfort of your armchair at home.The vivid pictures, poetic descriptions and interesting sidebars help Steinbeck's California come alive to diehard Steinbeck fans and the uninitiated alike.Beware though, because after reading Shillinglaw's book, you'll want to read all those Steinbeck books you missed in high school and college.

Steinbeck's Monterey comes alive
Last weekend our family had a great time on vacation in Monterey. Following Steinbeck's story as it intertwined with places and people in Monterey made my walks around town alive with history. We spent part of a day in Pacific Grove and loved looking at pictures of the past incarnation of present buildings and sites. Definitely added a rich dimension to our trip.

Wonderful biography -- with an emphasis on place
I bought this book for my folks--who were planning a visit through California--and ended up reading it myself. I've been to the Steinbeck Institute (and loved it) in Salinas, but this book has a broader scope and takes you to the places in California where Steinbeck grew up and lived, as well as the places that appear in his books. I heartily recommend it for any Steinbeck fan. ... Read more

Product Description
THE PEARL is an eduring and classic fable, sensitively told, in simple and beautiful language. It is the story of a fisherman who found a pearl beyond price, the Pearl of the World. With the pearl, he hoped to buy peace and happiness for himself, his wife and their little son.Instead he found that peace and happiness are not to be purchased. They are, themselves, pearls beyond price.THE PEARL is a book to be read many times and cherished forever. (from back cover) ... Read more

Customer Reviews (3)

The Pearl: Continues to be Precious
A short read...a novella, really.I gave this to my 12 year old son as a home reading assignment.I have been assigning books to him all year- "the great boy books".This was one of his favorites!And mine...

My aunt read it long ago
I can't wait to read it my aunt read it when she was younger may she R.I.P

Disappointed
I was disappointed to discover that the first 26 pages of this book was missing!Had I known, I would not have purchased.Buyer beware.
... Read more

Customer Reviews (1)

Stories about supressed sexuality
This book contains three short stories, setup in early 19th century.All stories are set on the West and depict life on the farm(s).My favorite story was titled "Murder" and explains complicated relationship between husband and wife. Their marriage is based on physical attraction that man feels for a pretty young immigrant woman who is obedient on the outside.When he learns by chance that she is unfaithful to him, he kills her lover, who also happens to be her cousin.It is this event and her consequent beating by her husband that helps them both setup their marriage on the right path again.The other stories are as equally powerful.They are brutal and explore supressed human sexuality of that time.Quick and interesting read. ... Read more

Product Description
This is the first edition (stated) of Steinbeck's classic story that was illustrated by Wesley Dennis and printed by Rogers-Kellogg-Stilson. The inside boards are beautifully illustrated. 131 pages. ... Read more

Customer Reviews (4)

Grapes of Wrath
The product received was exactly as described by the seller.Quick response and Delivery.Great seller!

Not happy customer
The picture that appears is exactly what I wanted but sadly does not represent in any way the product that I received.When I sent my view to First Editions Etc. I received a very unsatisfactory reply which stated that the picture shown does not represent the actual product.If that isn't misleading and false advertising I don't know what is!!!!!I won't be doing this again.

One of the most relevant and poignant books of all time.
Who am I to review one of the greatest literary works of all time? Could I possibly give this book anything less than the maximum rating it so richly deserves? Should I even commence? Those were just some of my private thoughts as I finally put down a copy of this book - read. This is the book which stirred the American conscience, caused political reform and brought about change when first published in 1939. This is the book which described how families were starving to death because of corruption. This is John Steinbeck at his exceptional best. For those people who never got around to reading this engaging and absorbing account of the Joad family, may I suggest you actually purchase a copy (any copy!) and finally read it.

Today the world is either in recession or emerging from the dark grip of this latest financial catastrophe. Whilst we may live in a time when millions of families are no longer allowed to starve to death - well, not in the developed world at any rate, I earnestly believe there are lessons to be learned from this book about the rich and powerful who care not for their fellow man but only for personal gain. More importantly, those lessons are as relevant today as they were in 1939.

Another similarity also failed to escape my notice; In this book we see how US police and other officials use their positions of authority to threaten and even blackmail the many thousands of American migrants who were simply looking for work in order to feed hungry mouths. These people had not arrived from any foreign country and were not even black - something which would have made their persecution much easier. No!, these ordinary white American folk were honest farmers who had been forcibly evicted from their homes and the land they had worked for generations. Seventy years on, here in the UK, we are besieged by TV programmes depicting our different police forces undertaking their various duties around the country. Yet more cheaply produced "reality" television! Significantly, however, I have occasionally noticed how some police officers deliberately provoke a hostile situation where exists. Whilst not on the scale portrayed in this outstanding work, it is interesting that I should recognise that underlying attitude of arrogant superiority.

Whilst some may find the book slow going at the start, Steinbeck quickly gathers in those loose strands until they suddenly pull together to assume a story, reveal a mental photograph and produce a relevance into which the reader becomes fully immersed. I promptly learned local words and understood the dialect in which they were spoken as the Joad story unfolded. I could hear those southern accents as hardships are endured and explained through the actions of those who lived them. This was the organised, legalised daylight robbery and exploitation of the poor by the rich who were actively supported by the law enforcement agencies. A week's work for 1,000 fruit pickers paying 50 cents an hour is advertised to 3,000 hungry people who then pass on the message. Consequently, 5,000 starving workers arrive in search of that employment. With so much competition, the rate is lowered to 30 cents - take it or leave it! It was a deliberate ploy repeated time after time. Anyone attempting to organise his fellow workers is photographed, black-listed and branded a communist. Now feed that to your children. Then the banks insist the farmers reduced the rate to 25 cents and any landowner who questions that decision is swiftly reminded of his own vulnerability as a mortgagee! In short, either you pay them 25 cents or you join them! My own immediate reaction was to recognise a similarity between then and now - specifically with those modern banking practises which preyed on the sub-prime market. Anyone who cared to consider precisely what "sub-prime" meant, knew it was a policy destined to fail. And fail it did in spectacular fashion - and yet, the fat cat bankers still draw bonuses based on "personal performance" and not on their company's overall profit or loss...

I note from some of the comments appended to certain editions of this book, that various issues have been produced in which, apparently, Steinbeck's prose are changed to make the work an easier read. Please don't take the easy option, take the version written as it was intended to be read - i.e. the version written by Steinbeck. If not, you cannot claim to have read this book at all - instead you have the equivalent of, say, a Romeo and Juliet story - set in Manhattan in the 21st Century - and there are plenty of those...

In closing, I would urge anyone (indeed everyone) who has not already read an original version of this book If to go out and buy a copy - any old copy and then simply read it. Having done that, you too will draw parallels with our modern age and understand what I mean. You will also be richer for having done so - as would those fat cats who, unfortunately, will probably never bother. Having finally finished reading this outstanding work, I wonder how many of you will still be wondering whatever happened to that perfectly matched pair of Bays! I do...

NM

made my brothers birthday
my brother is into all those kind of books he loves this one so I made his birthday for him lol ... Read more

Product Description
This volume is the first to collect the critical responses of Steinbeck's generation to his many fiction and nonfiction works, as they appeared from the late 1920s on. The articles trace the record of Steinbeck's progress through the 1930s and go on to reflect his steady series of achievements through the 1960s, including his attainment of the Nobel Prize in 1967. These articles offer at last a means of seeing Steinbeck's writings as they were perceived by his contemporaries, whose task it was first to evaluate and interpret them for an ever-growing readership. ... Read more