"Provides a treat for both literary detectives and armchair travelers." —
TravelSmart
"This amazing book explores Steinbeck's relationship with the area he both loved and hated." —Offbeat Travel
"A warm portrait of a man by someone who has the ability to see California through his eyes." —Suite101.com
"A rich portrait of Steinbeck's California . . . excellent historical background. . . . Lavishly illustrated." —Janet Ross, former librarian, Sparks Branch Library, Nevada
"This is undoubtedly one of the most useful, delightful and enlightening books ever published on Steinbeck." —Steinbeck Studies
"Generous enough with both text and pictures (modern photos by Nancy Burnett mixed with quality historical photos) to satisfy the armchair traveler." —Worducopia
This part art book, part biography, and part travel guide offers insight into how landscapes and townscapes influenced John Steinbeck's creative process and how, in turn, his legacy has influenced modern California. Various types of readers will appreciate the information in this guide—literary pilgrims will learn more about the state featured so prominently in Steinbeck's work, tourists can visit the same buildings that he lived in and wrote about, and historians will appreciate the engrossing perspective on daily life in early 20th-century California. Offering an entirely new perspective on Steinbeck and the people and places that he brought to life in his writing, readers will find delight in this depiction of the symbiotic relationship between an author and his favorite places.
Susan Shillinglaw is a scholar in residence at the National Steinbeck Center in Salinas, California, and a professor of English at San Jose State University, where she was also the director of the Center for Steinbeck Studies for many years. She was a consultant to Harpo Productions for Oprah's website on East of Eden, and has consulted for popular media such as Good Morning America, the Discovery Channel, and A&E. She is the coauthor of How to Organize a Steinbeck Book or Film Discussion Group and a coeditor of Beyond Boundaries: Rereading John Steinbeck and Steinbeck and the Environment. She lives in Los Gatos, California. Nancy Burnett has been photographing the California landscape for more than 30 years. She is the producer of The Shape of Life and Strange Days on Planet Earth for PBS, coproducer of the photographic exhibit Sea Stars for the Smithsonian, and coauthor of The Shape of Life. She lives in the Carmel Valley in California.
Read an excerpt
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Travel, Biography
208 pages, Trade Paper, 7 1/2 x 7 1/2
Distribution Rights: WOR
$24.95 (CAN $31.95)
9780976670629 (0976670623) Pub Date: February 2006
Roaring Forties Press