Spirit of America Bookstore
John Steinbeck
 |
Primary Works |
"Most of the feeling we call religious, most of the mystical outcrying which is
one of the prized and used and desired reactions of our species, is really
the understanding and the attempt to say that man is related to the whole thing."
— John Steinbeck (from "Sea of Cortez" 1941)
John Ernst Steinbeck III was born 27 February 1902 in Salinas, California. The novel "The Grapes of Wrath", considered his masterpiece, earned a Pulitzer Prize in 1940. He received a Nobel Prize for Literature in 1962 and the U.S. Medal of Freedom in 1964. He died 20 December 1968 in New York City of heart disease.
National Steinbeck Center [est. 1998]
John Steinbeck entry at Wikipedia
John Steinbeck's credits at Internet Movie Database
Nobel Prize for Literature 1962
Portions of Nobel Acceptance Speech
John Steinbeck Papers Archive at Stanford University
listed #96 on Atlantic Monthly's "100 Most Influential Americans" (12/2006)
Steinbeck books catalog at Amazon.com
Steinbeck audio catalog at Amazon
Weedpatch Camp, California
L.A. Weekly article May 2002
John Steinbeck's Pacific Grove [a self-guided driving tour]
EdS's Steinbeck California Novels fansite
article in the March 2002 Socialist Worker
John Steinbeck Quotations Page
at Working Minds Philosophy website
Collections
 |
John Steinbeck Centennial Boxed Set [2002]
"Of Mice and Men" [1937], "The Grapes of Wrath" [1939], "Cannery Row" [1945], "The Pearl" [1947], "East of Eden" [1952] & "Travels With Charley In Search of America" [1962] Penguin 9x6 pb [1/2002] for $54.60 |
 |
John Steinbeck: Novels and Stories 1932-1937 [1994] Edited by Robert DeMott & Elaine A. Steinbeck "The Pastures of Heaven" [1932], "To A God Unknown" [1933], "Tortilla Flat" [1935], "In Dubious Battle" [1936] & "Of Mice and Men" [1937] Library of America 8x5¼ hardcover [9/94] for $24.50 |
 |
John Steinbeck: The Grapes of Wrath & Other Writings 1936-1941 [1996] Edited by Robert DeMott & Elaine A. Steinbeck "The Harvest Gypsies" [1936], "The Long Valley" [1938], "The Grapes of Wrath" [1939] & "The Log From The Sea of Cortez" [1941] Library of America 8x5 hardcover [10/96] for $35.00 |
 |
John Steinbeck: Novels 1942-1952 [2002] Edited by Robert DeMott "The Moon Is Down" [1942], "Cannery Row" [1945], "The Pearl" [1947] & "East of Eden" [1952] Library of America 8x5¼ hardcover [2/2002] for $24.50 |
 |
John Steinbeck: Travels With Charley and Later Novels [2007] Edited by Robert DeMott & Brian Railsback "The Wayward Bus" [1947], "Burning Bright" [1950], "Sweet Thursday" [1954], "The Winter of Our Discontent" [1961] & "Travels With Charley In Search of America" [1962] Library of America 8x5¼ hardcover [2/2007] for $26.40 |
Primary Works
"The Grapes of Wrath" [Viking April 1939]
Calif. Council for the Humanities 'Reading Grapes of Wrath' program
 |
When America was devastated by the 'Dust Bowl' drought, many farmers lost their land, and many of them migrated to California. Steinbeck's epic novel revealed to the world the plight of a family of 'Okies' (from Okla- homa), and caused society to make changes in 'The System'. The novel won the Pulitzer Prize, and is listed on Time Magazine's All-TIME 100 Novels (10/2005).
Penguin 8.4x5½ pb [1/2002] for $12.00 Penguin UNABR audio [10/98] 12 tapes read by Dylan Baker for $34.96 |
 | 1940 Fox Movie
Directed by John Ford [1894-1973]; starring Henry Fonda, Jane Darwell, John Carradine, Charley Grapewin & Dorris Bowdon; won Oscars for Best Director & Best Supporting Actress (Darwell), nominated for Best Picture, Best Script, Best Actor (Fonda), Best Editing, Best Sound; listed in National Film Registry 1989 John Ford's movie (from Nunnally Johnson's script) remains an unforgettable experience even 60 years later. Fox b&w VHS [10/99] for $13.99 full credits from IMDb |
 |
"Working Days: The Journals of The Grapes of Wrath, 1938-1941" [1989] Edited by Robert Demott Penguin 7¾x5 pb [12/90] for $10.50 Viking hardcover [3/89] out of print/used |
 |
"Obscene In The Extreme: The Burning & Banning of John Steinbeck's The Grapes of Wrath" [2008] by Rick Wartzman PublicAffairs hardcover [9/2008] for $17.79 |
"Cannery Row" [Viking Jan 1945]
 | Penguin 8½x5½ pb [1/2002] for $9.60 |
 |
1982 M.G.M. Movie
Script based on "Cannery Row" & "Sweet Thursday"; written & directed by David S. Ward; starring Nick Nolte & Debra Winger Turner Home Video color VHS [3/93] for $17.99 full credits from IMDb |
"Sweet Thursday" [Viking June 1954]
 |
Penguin 7¾x5 pb [10/96] for $10.40 |
"Of Mice & Men" [Covici-Friede Feb 1937]
 |
Penguin 8.4x5½ pb [1/2002] for $8.80
Penguin ABRIDGED audio [10/92] 2 tapes read by Gary Sinise for $12.76 |
 |
1939 b&w movie [Hal Roach Studios / United Artists]
Directed by Lewis Milestone; starring Burgess Meredith, Betty Field, Lon Chaney Jr., Charles Bickford, Roman Bohnen, Bob Steele & Noah Beery Jr.; nominated for Oscars for Best Picture, Best Music (Aaron Copland), Best Sound Image Ent b&w VHS [3/2001] for $29.98 Image Ent b&w DVD [3/2001] for $17.99 full credits from IMDb |
 |
1992 M.G.M. color movie Directed by & co-starring Gary Sinise; also starring John Malkovich, Ray Walston, Casey Siemaszko, Sherilyn Fenn & John Terry MGM/UA color VHS [10/93] out of stock/used MGM/UA widescreen color DVD [11/2001] for $17.98 full credits from IMDb |
"East of Eden" [Viking Sept 1952]
 |
Penguin/Oprah pb [6/2003] for $11.20
Viking/Oprah 8¾x6 hardcover [6/2003] for $21.00 Sears & Viking hardcover [1952] out of print/used |
 |
color movie [Warner 1955] |
 |
"Journal of A Novel: The East of Eden Letters" [1972] Penguin 7¾x5 pb [12/90] for $11.20 Penguin 7¾x5 pb [7/2001] out of print/used |
 | tv miniseries [Viacom/ABC Feb 1981] Directed by Harvey Hart; script by Richard Shapiro; starring Karen Allen, Anne Baxter, Hart Bochner, Sam Bottoms, Timothy Bottoms, Bruce Boxleitner, Jane Seymour, Warren Oates, Soon-Tek Oh & Lloyd Bridges Acorn Media color DVD [3/2009] 3 disks for $49.99 Anchor Bay color VHS [9/90] 3 tapes / out of stock/used full credits from IMDb |
[Warner Bros./Sparkhill May 2005]
Available on 2-disk DVD above; full credits at IMDb
"East of Eden" feature film [Universal/Imagine; to be released in 2010?]
Directed by Tom Hooper; script by Christopher Hampton, based on the John Steinbeck novel
latest info at IMDb
"In Dubious Battle" [Viking Press 1936]
 |
Written before "Grapes of Wrath", this story of a strike among migrant workers in apple orchards of California tells how Jim Nolan becomes a leader of the workers and then suffers crushing defeat.
Penguin Classics 7¾x5 pb [10/92] for $11.20 Bantam pb [6/70] out of print/used Viking Press hardcover [1/36] out of print/used BooksOnTape audio [11/94] 7 tapes read by Michael Keenan for $57.99 |
"The Sea of Cortez"
 |
"Sea of Cortez: A Leisurely Journal of Travel & Research" [Viking Dec 1941] by John Steinbeck & Dr. Edward F. Ricketts Paul P. Appel hardcover [6/71 reprint] extremely rare/used |
 |
"The Log From The Sea of Cortez" [Viking 1951] by John Steinbeck Penguin 7¾x5 pb [11/95] for $11.16 Viking pb [4/77] out of print/used |
 |
"Searching for Steinbeck's Sea of Cortez: A Makeshift Expedition Along Baja's Desert Coast" [2002] by Andromeda Romano-Lax Sasquatch 8½x5½ pb [9/2002] for $11.87 |
 |
"With Steinbeck In The Sea of Cortez: A Memoir of The Steinbeck/Ricketts Expedition" [1991] by Sparky Enea & Audry Lynch Sand River Press 9x6 pb [10/91] for $11.94 |
2004 re-creation of the 'Sea of Cortez' voyage {26 March to 26 May, 2004)
English web journal • Spanish web journal
participants include Jon Christenson of San Jose State University, chief scientist Prof. William F. Gilly of Stanford University,
Frank Donahue (owner/skipper of the 73-foot Gus-D), Chuck Baxter (Stanford lecturer emeritus), and
photographer Nancy Burnett; beer ration supplied by North Coast Brewing Co. of Fort Bragg, CA
"Travels With Charley In Search of America"
[non-fiction 1962]
Other Works
 |
"Cup of Gold: A Life of Sir Henry Morgan, Buccaneer, With Occasional Reference To History" [1929]
Penguin Ltd. pb [8/2004] for $11.97 Penguin Classics 7¾x5 pb [11/95] for $10.78 Viking mass pb [5/93] out of print/used hardcover [1936] out of print/used BooksOnTape audio [11/91] 7 tapes read by Michael Keenan for $42.00 |
"The Pastures of Heaven" [stories 1932]
"To A God Unknown" [1933]
"The Red Pony" [1933]
"Tortilla Flat" [1935]
 |
"The Harvest Gypsies: On the Road To The Grapes of Wrath" [1936] Intro by Charles Wollenberg, photos by Dorothea Lange Seven newspaper articles by John Steinbeck from 1936 – after "In Dubious Battle" and prior to "Grapes of Wrath" Heyday Books 8x6 pb [7/2002] for $9.95 Heyday Books 8x6 hardcover [10/96] out of print/used |
"The Long Valley" [stories 1938]
"The Moon Is Down" [1942]
"The Pearl" [1947]
"The Wayward Bus" [1947]
"A Russian Journal" [non-fiction 1948]
"Burning Bright" [1950]
"The Short Reign of Pippin IV" [1957]
"Once There Was A War" [1958]
"The Winter of Our Discontent" [1961]
"America and Americans" [non-fiction 1966]
 |
"The Acts of King Arthur and His Noble Knights: From The Winchester Manuscripts of Thomas Malory & Other Sources" [1976] by John Steinbeck, Foreword by Christopher Paolini Penguin Classics mass pb [12/2008] for $10.88 Del Rey mass pb [6/80] out of print/many used FS&G 9x6 pb [4/93] out of print/many used Viking 8½x5¾ hardcover [10/2007] for $19.77 Random House Value hardcover [12/82] out of print/many used "Los Hechos del Rey Arturo y sus Nobles Caballeros" Sudamericana 6¾x4½ pb [1/2000] for $16.34 Sudamericana hardcover [1/99] out of print/used |
King Arthur Page at Spirit of America
Works About John Steinbeck
 |
"Steinbeck: A Life in Letters" [Viking 1975] Edited by Robert Wallsten & Elaine Wallsten Steinbeck Penguin 7¾x5 pb [4/89] for $17.50 Penguin Classics 7¾x5 pb [7/2001] out of print/used Galahad hardcover [3/79] out of print/used Viking hardcover [10/75] out of print/used |
 |
"John Steinbeck, Writer: A Biography" [1990] by Jackson J. Benson Penguin 8½x5½ pb [12/90] for $17.50 |
 |
"John Steinbeck: An American Writer" [A&E Biography tv movie 2000] Directed by Morgan Neville A&E Home Video VHS [8/2000] for $14.95 full credits from IMDb A&E Biography page |
C-SPAN American Writers John Steinbeck page
Works by son
Thomas Steinbeck
official website
Plays, Motion Pictures & Videos
"Forgotten Village" documentary feature [indep Nov 1941]
Co-directed by Herbert Kline & Alexander Hammid; written by John Steinbeck; narrated by Burgess Meredith
credits at IMDb •
Steinbeck / 'Forgotten Village' Archive at Stanford University
"Lifeboat" feature film [Fox Jan 1944]
 |
A freighter and a German U-boat do battle in mid-Atlantic and both are sunk. The survivors from the ship gather in one of the lifeboats: a female journalist, a wealthy industrialist, the radio operator, a nurse, a Negro steward, a sailor, a hysterical Englishwoman, and an engineer with communist tendencies. Trouble starts when they pull a man out of the water who turns out to be from the U-boat.
Directed by Alfred Hitchcock; script by Jo Swerling, based on a story by John Steinbeck; starring Tallulah Bankhead, William Bendix, Walter Slezak, Mary Anderson, John Hodiak, Henry Hull, Hume Cronyn, Canada Lee & Heather Angel; Oscar noms for Best Director, Best Original Story (JS), Best B&W Cinematography
Fox Special Edition b&w DVD [10/2005] for $9.99 Fox b&w VHS [12/97] out of prodn/many used 11"x17" poster from Amazon for $19.99 full credits from IMDb • movie entry at Wikipedia |
"A Medal For Benny" [Paramount April 1945]
 |
The hometown of dead war hero Benny wants to share the glory, but when they realize that Benny's father lives in a shack, they move him into a new home and otherwise whitewash the past. A look at the hypocrisy of heroism, as Benny was generally shunned before dying in action.
Directed by Irving Pichel; script by John Steinbeck & Jack Wagner; starring Dorothy Lamour, Arturo de Córdova, J. Carrol Naish, Mikhail Rasumny, Fernando Alvarado & Frank McHugh; Oscar nominated for Best Story & Best Supporting Actor (Naish)
not available on DVD; full credits from IMDb "A Medal For Benny" live color TV broadcast [NBC-TV aired 25 Nov 1954] 1-hour live episode of Lux Video Theatre, the first coast-to-coast live broadcast of a comedy/drama – and it was in color! Directed by Buzz Kulik; starring Rick Jason, Anne Bancroft & J. Carrol Naish full credits from IMDb; article from Rick Jason's memoirs |
"Viva Zapata!" feature film [Fox Feb 1952]
 |
Directed by Elia Kazan; starring Marlon Brando, Jean Peters, Anthony Quinn & Joseph Wiseman; won Oscar for Best Supporting Actor (Quinn), nominated for Best Script (John Steinbeck), Best Actor (Brando), Best Music, Best Art Direction
b&w DVD [undated] out of prodn/used Fox b&w VHS [6/2001] out of prodn/used Verese soundtrack CD [3/98] out of prodn/used full credits from IMDb |
 |
Steinbeck's "Zapata" script in book form, edited by Robert E. Morsberger Penguin 7¾x5 pb [5/93] for $12.80 |
"Pipe Dream" [Broadway musical 1955]
Rodgers and Hammerstein musical, adapted from Steinbeck's "Sweet Thursday"
 |
starring Helen Traubel, William Johnson & Judy Tyler
RCA Victor original cast recording audio CD [3/93] for $10.99 credits at Internet Broadway Database official webpage 7-song vocal score: Hal Leonard Corp. 12/8¾ pb [12/86] for $9.31 complete vocal score: Hal Leonard Corp. 12x9 pb [4/81] for $60.00 |
'Pipe Dream' revival in San Francisco, CA [July 1995]
'Pipe Dream' musical entry at Wikipedia
Audio Tapes & CDs
Steinbeck audio catalog at Amazon
CD-ROM of "The Pearl" & "The Red Pony"
Penguin Electronics CD-ROM for Windows [11/96] for $69.50
 |
"The Pearl" read by Hector Elizondo Penguin UNABR audio [4/94] 2 tapes for $11.20 |
 |
"Travels With Charley: In Search of America" read by Gary Sinise Penguin UNABR audio [11/94] 6 tapes for $21.00 |
|
|
"Tortilla Flat" read by John McDonough Penguin UNABR audio [2/99] 6 tapes for $20.97 |
 |
"To A God Unknown"
BooksOnTape UNABR audio [1/92] 8 tapes for $48.00 |
Online sales in association with 
John Steinbeck Quotations Page at Working Minds Philosophy website
top of this page | back to Spirit of America Bookstore homepage