Books by John Steinbeck

Portrait of John Steinbeck

John Steinbeck remains one of the twentieth century's most resonant voices, capturing the spirit, hardship, and quiet resilience of ordinary people with rare empathy. His writing bridges social realism with poetic observation, charting the landscapes of rural America and the inner workings of the human heart with equal precision.

From the dust-laden fields of California to the intimate struggles of families and wanderers, Steinbeck's novels reveal compassion for those on society's margins. His stories continue to speak to readers seeking truth, dignity, and hope amid adversity, securing his place as a cornerstone of modern literature.

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112 products


  • East of Eden

    Penguin Books Ltd East of Eden

    Book SynopsisA masterpiece of Biblical scope, and the magnum opus of one of America s most enduring authors, in a commemorative hardcover edition In his journal, Nobel Prize winner John Steinbeck called "East of Eden" "the first book," and indeed it has the primordial power and simplicity of myth. Set in the rich farmland of California's Salinas Valley, this sprawling and often brutal novel follows the intertwined destinies of two families the Trasks and the Hamiltons whose generations helplessly reenact the fall of Adam and Eve and the poisonous rivalry of Cain and Abel. The masterpiece of Steinbeck s later years, "East of Eden" is a work in which Steinbeck created his most mesmerizing characters and explored his most enduring themes: the mystery of identity, the inexplicability of love, and the murderous consequences of love's absence. Adapted for the 1955 film directed by Elia Kazan introducing James Dean, and read by thousands as the book that brought Oprah s Book Club back, East of Ede

    £9.99

  • Of Mice and Men

    Penguin Books Ltd Of Mice and Men

    Book SynopsisDrifters in search of work, George and his childlike friend Lennie, have nothing in the world except the clothes on their back - and a dream that one day they will have some land of their own. Eventually they find work on a ranch in California's Salinas Valley, but their hopes are dashed as Lennie - struggling against extreme cruelty, and more.

    £8.54

  • Penguin Books Ltd East of Eden

    Book SynopsisCalifornia''s fertile Salinas Valley is home to two families whose destinies are fruitfully, and fatally, intertwined. Over the generations, between the beginning of the twentieth century and the end of the First World War, the Trasks and the Hamiltons will helplessly replay the fall of Adam and Eve and the murderous rivalry of Cain and Abel.East of Eden was considered by Steinbeck to be his magnum opus, and its epic scope and memorable characters, exploring universal themes of love and identity, ensure it remains one of America''s most enduring novels. This edition features a stunning new cover by renowned artist Bijou Karman.Trade ReviewThe work of a great storyteller * Washington Post *A novel planned on the grandest possible scale...One of those occasions when a writer has aimed high and then summoned every ounce of energy, talent, seriousness, and passion of which he was capable...It is an entirely interesting and impressive book * New York Herald Tribune *When the book club ended a year ago, I said I would bring it back when I found the book that was moving...and this is a great one. I read it for myself for the first time and then I had some friends read it. And we think it might be the best novel we've ever read! -- Oprah WinfreyA strange and original work of art * New York Times Book Review *A moving, crying pageant with wilderness strengths -- Carl Sandburg

    £9.49

  • East of Eden

    Penguin Books Ltd East of Eden

    Book Synopsis'There is only one book to a man' Steinbeck wrote of East of Eden. Set in the rich farmland of the Salinas Valley, California, this powerful, often brutal novel, follows the interwined destinies of two families - the Trasks and the Hamiltons - whose generations hopelessly re-enact the fall of Adam and Eve and the poisonous rivalry of Cain and Abel. Here Steinbeck created some of his most memorable characters and explored his most enduring themes: the mystery of indentity; the inexplicability of love, and the murderous consequences of love's absence.

    £8.54

  • Of Mice and Men

    HarperCollins Publishers Of Mice and Men

    Book SynopsisSavvy George and gentle giant Lennie are drifters, hustling for a living in a string of dead-end jobs. George looks out for Lennie as they move from town to town, running from trouble and dreaming big. A place of their own, a piece of land, a bit of money. But trouble follows Lennie like a shadow, and George has his work cut out to keep him safe.John Steinbeck's classic novel in a super-readable format with dyslexia-friendly features that more readers can access and enjoy.

    £8.54

  • Of Mice and Men

    Penguin Books Ltd Of Mice and Men

    Book Synopsis''Guys like us, that work on ranches, are the loneliest guys in the world. They got no family. They don''t belong no place.''George and his large, simple-minded friend Lennie are drifters, following wherever work leads them. Arriving in California''s Salinas Valley, they get work on a ranch. If they can just stay out of trouble, George promises Lennie, then one day they might be able to get some land of their own and settle down some place. But kind-hearted, childlike Lennie is a victim of his own strength. Seen by others as a threat, he finds it impossible to control his emotions. And one day not even George will be able to save him from trouble.Of Mice and Men is a tragic and moving story of friendship, loneliness and the dispossessed, with a stunning new cover by renowned artist Bijou Karman.Trade ReviewA thriller, a gripping tale that you will not set down until it is finished. Steinbeck has touched the quick * New York Times *A short tale of much power and beauty. Mr. Steinbeck has contributed a small masterpiece to the modern tough-tender school of American fiction * Times Literary Supplement *Brutality and tenderness mingle in these strangely moving pages. . . The reader is fascinated by a certainty of approaching doom. * Chicago Tribune *

    £8.54

  • Of Mice and Men

    Penguin Books Ltd Of Mice and Men

    Book Synopsis

    £9.99

  • The Pearl The Originals

    Penguin Random House Children's UK The Pearl The Originals

    7 in stock

    Book SynopsisThe Pearl is a haunting and timeless tale of the dangers of unexpected wealth by Nobel prizewinner John Steinbeck, author of The Grapes of Wrath. It is one of The Originals from Penguin - iconic, outspoken, first.Kino is a desperately poor Mexican pearl diver. But when he finds ''The Pearl of the World'' he believes that his life will be magically transformed. Obsessed by his dreams, Kino is blind to the greed, fear and even violence the pearl arouses in his neighbours - and himself. The Originals are the pioneers of fiction for young adults. From political awakening, war and unrequited love to addiction, teenage pregnancy and nuclear holocaust, The Originals confront big issues and articulate difficult truths. The collection includes: The Outsiders - S.E. Hinton, I Capture the Castle - Dodie Smith, Postcards from No Man''s Land - Aidan Chambers, After the First Death - Robert Cormier, Dear Nobody - Berlie Doherty,

    7 in stock

    £9.25

  • Travels with Charley

    Penguin Books Ltd Travels with Charley

    Book SynopsisIn 1960, John Steinbeck set out in his pick-up truck with his dog Charley to rediscover and chronicle his native USA, from Maine to California.He felt that he might have lost touch with its sights, sounds and the essence of the American people. Moving through the woods and deserts, dirt tracks and highways to large cities and glorious wildernesses, Steinbeck observed - with remarkable honesty, insight and a humorous eye - the gamut of America and the people who inhabited it.His 10,000-mile journey took him through almost forty states, where he saw things that made him proud, angry, sympathetic and elated. A rugged and passionate adventure of self-identity, Steinbeck''s vision of the changing world still speaks to us prophetically through the decades.''Delightful. This is a book to be read slowly for its savor.'' The Atlantic

    £9.49

  • The Pearl

    Penguin Books Ltd The Pearl

    Book SynopsisWhen Kino, an Indian pearl-diver, finds 'the Pearl of the world' he believes that his life will be magically transformed. He will marry Juana in church and their little boy, Coyotito, will be able to attend school. Obsessed by his dreams, Kino is blind to the greed, fear and even violence the pearl arouses in him and his neighbours.

    £13.49

  • The Grapes of Wrath

    Penguin Books Ltd The Grapes of Wrath

    Book SynopsisWinner of the Pulitzer Prize, The Grapes of Wrath is an epic human drama, with a stunning new cover by renowned artist Bijou Karman.''To the red country and part of the gray country of Oklahoma, the last rains came gently, and they did not cut the scarred earth.''Drought and economic depression are driving thousands from Oklahoma. As their land becomes just another strip in the dust bowl, the Joads, a family of sharecroppers, decide they have no choice but to follow. They head west, towards California, where they hope to find work and a future for their family. But while the journey to this promised land will take its inevitable toll, there remains uncertainty about what awaits their arrival . . .''Magnificent'' New York Times''Steinbeck''s writings form a photograph album of America'' Guardian''There is no more impressive writer on either side of the Atlantic'' Time and Tide''A novelist who is also a true poet'' Sunday TimesTrade ReviewA warm-hearted celebration of the persistence of the human spirit * Guardian *Magnificent * New York Times *Steinbeck's writings form a photograph album of America * Guardian *There is no more impressive writer on either side of the Atlantic * Time and Tide *A novelist who is also a true poet * Sunday Times *

    £8.54

  • Of Mice and Men

    Penguin Books Ltd Of Mice and Men

    Book SynopsisDrifters in search of work, George and his childlike friend Lennie, have nothing in the world except the clothes on their back - and a dream that one day they will have some land of their own.

    £8.54

  • Tortilla Flat

    Penguin Books Ltd Tortilla Flat

    10 in stock

    Book SynopsisDanny is a paisano, descended from the original Spanish settlers who arrived in Monterey, California, centuries before. He values friendship above money and possessions, so when he suddenly inherits two houses, Danny is quick to offer shelter to his fellow gentlemen of the road.

    10 in stock

    £9.49

  • The Pearl

    Penguin Books Ltd The Pearl

    15 in stock

    Book SynopsisWhen Kino, a poor Indian pearl-diver, finds ''the Pearl of the world'' he believes that his life will be magically transformed. He will marry Juana and their son Coyotito will be able to attend school. Obsessed by his dreams, Kino is blind to the greed and even violence the pearl arouses in him and his neighbours. Written with lyrical simplicity, The Pearl sets the values of the civilized world against those of the primitive and finds them tragically inadequate.

    15 in stock

    £8.54

  • The Pearl

    Penguin Books Ltd The Pearl

    7 in stock

    Book SynopsisWhen Kino, a poor Indian pearl-diver, finds ''the Pearl of the world'' he believes that his life will be magically transformed. He will marry Juana and their son Coyotito will be able to attend school. Obsessed by his dreams, Kino is blind to the greed and even violence the pearl arouses in him and his neighbours. Written with lyrical simplicity, The Pearl sets the values of the civilized world against those of the primitive and finds them tragically inadequate.

    7 in stock

    £7.99

  • The Short Novels of John Steinbeck

    Penguin Books Ltd The Short Novels of John Steinbeck

    15 in stock

    Book SynopsisA Penguin Classics Deluxe Edition of Steinbeck's brilliant short novelsCollected here for the first time in a deluxe paperback volume are six of John Steinbeck's most widely read and beloved novels. From the tale of commitment, loneliness and hope in Of Mice and Men, to the tough yet charming portrait of people on the margins of society in Cannery Row, to The Pearl's examination of the fallacy of the American dream, Steinbeck stories of realism, that were imbued with energy and resilience.For more than seventy years, Penguin has been the leading publisher of classic literature in the English-speaking world. With more than 1,700 titles, Penguin Classics represents a global bookshelf of the best works throughout history and across genres and disciplines. Readers trust the series to provide authoritative texts enhanced by introductions and notes by distinguished scholars and contemporary authors, as well as up-to-date translations by award-winning translators.Trade ReviewBy the Winner of the Nobel Prize in Literature

    15 in stock

    £22.95

  • The Vigilante

    Penguin Books Ltd The Vigilante

    20 in stock

    Book Synopsis''Everything was dead, everything unreal; the dark mob was made up of stiff lay-figures''One of America''s greatest writers explores mob violence, voyeurism and betrayal in these unforgettable tales of Californian life.Penguin Modern: fifty new books celebrating the pioneering spirit of the iconic Penguin Modern Classics series, with each one offering a concentrated hit of its contemporary, international flavour. Here are authors ranging from Kathy Acker to James Baldwin, Truman Capote to Stanislaw Lem and George Orwell to Shirley Jackson; essays radical and inspiring; poems moving and disturbing; stories surreal and fabulous; taking us from the deep South to modern Japan, New York''s underground scene to the farthest reaches of outer space.

    20 in stock

    £5.63

  • Penguin Books Ltd Cannery Row

    15 in stock

    Book SynopsisOne of the BBC''s ''100 Novels That Shaped Our World''''Cannery Row in Monterey in California is a poem, a stink, a grating noise, a quality of light, a tone, a habit, a nostalgia, a dream.'' Meet the gamblers, whores, drunks, bums and artists of Cannery Row in Monterey, California, during the Great Depression. They want to throw a party for their friend Doc, so Mack and the boys set about, in their own inimitable way, recruiting everyone in the neighbourhood to the cause. But along the way they can''t help but get involved in a little mischief and misadventure. It wouldn''t be Cannery Row if it was otherwise, now would it?Packed with a ramshackle joi de vivre, Cannery Row is Steinback''s high-spirited tribute to his native California.''Uninhibited, bawdy, compassionate, inquisitive, deeply intelligent'' Daily Telegraph

    15 in stock

    £9.49

  • Penguin Books Ltd The Winter of Our Discontent

    10 in stock

    Book SynopsisEthan Allen Hawley has lost the acquisitive spirit of his wealthy and enterprising forebears, a long line of proud New England sea captains and Pilgrims. Scarred by failure, Ethan works as a grocery clerk in a store his family once owned. But his wife is restless and his teenage children troubled and hungry for the material comforts he cannot provide. Then a series of unusual events reignites Ethan''s ambition, and he is pitched on to a bold course, where all scruples are put aside. Steinbeck''s searing examination of the evil influences of money, immorality, greed and ambition on America drew acclaim from the Nobel Committee who hailed him as an ''independent expounder of the truth''.''Returns to the high standards of The Grapes of Wrath and to the social themes that made his early work ... so powerful''Saul Bellow, author of Herzog

    10 in stock

    £9.49

  • In Dubious Battle Penguin Modern Classics

    Penguin Books Ltd In Dubious Battle Penguin Modern Classics

    4 in stock

    Book SynopsisBoth a fast-paced story of social unrest and strike, and the tale of one young man''s struggle for identity, IN DUBIOUS BATTLE is a novel about the apocalyptic violence that breaks out when the masses become the mob. Set in California apple country, a strike by migrant workers spirals out of control, as principled defiance turns into blind fanaticism. Caught in this upheaval is Jim Nolan, a once aimless man who finds himself briefly becoming the leader of the strike before being crushed in its service. IN DUBIOUS BATTLE explores and dramatises many of the ideas and themes key to Steinbeck''s writing.

    4 in stock

    £9.99

  • The Moon is Down

    Penguin Books Ltd The Moon is Down

    15 in stock

    Book SynopsisOriginally published at the zenith of Nazi Germany''s power, The Moon Is Down explores the effects of invasion on both the conquered and the conquerors. Occupied by enemy troops, a small, peaceable town comes face-to-face with evil imposed from the outside and betrayal from within the close-knit community. As he delves into the motivations and emotions of the enemy, Steinbeck uncovers profound and often unsettling truths both about war and human nature.

    15 in stock

    £9.49

  • The Red Pony

    Penguin Random House Children's UK The Red Pony

    4 in stock

    Book SynopsisMasterful linked short stories by Nobel prizewinner John Steinbeck, author of The Grapes of Wrath. The Red Pony is one of The Originals from Penguin - iconic, outspoken, first. Young Jody Tiflin lives on his father''s California ranch. He is thrilled when his father gives him a red pony, and later promises him the colt of a bay mare. Both these gifts bring joy to Jodi''s life - but tragedy soon follows. As Jodi begins to learn the harsh lessons of life and death, he starts to understand what growing-up and becoming an adult really means. The Originals are the pioneers of fiction for young adults. From political awakening, war and unrequited love to addiction, teenage pregnancy and nuclear holocaust, The Originals confront big issues and articulate difficult truths. The collection includes: The Outsiders - S.E. Hinton, I Capture the Castle - Dodie Smith, Postcards from No Man''s Land - Aidan Chambers, After the First Death - Robert Cormier, Dear Nobody - Berlie Doherty, The Endless Steppe - Esther Hautzig, Buddy - Nigel Hinton, Across the Barricades - Joan Lingard, The Twelfth Day of July - Joan Lingard, No Turning Back - Beverley Naidoo, Z for Zachariah - Richard C. O''Brien, The Wave - Morton Rhue, The Red Pony - John Steinbeck, The Pearl - John Steinbeck, Stone Cold - Robert Swindells.Trade ReviewThere is no more impressive writer on either side of the Atlantic * Time and Tide *

    4 in stock

    £8.54

  • A Russian Journal

    Penguin Books Ltd A Russian Journal

    3 in stock

    Book SynopsisJust 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 travellers 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 glimpse of two artists at the height of their powers, answering their need to document human struggle

    3 in stock

    £11.69

  • Sweet Thursday

    Penguin Books Ltd Sweet Thursday

    15 in stock

    Book SynopsisIn Monterey, on the California Coast, Sweet Thursday is what they call the day after Lousy Wednesday - one of those days that''s just bad from the start. But Sweet Thursday is sunny and clear, a day when anything can happen. Returning to the scene of Cannery Row, Steinbeck brilliantly creates its bawdy, high-spirited world of bums, drunks and hookers, telling the story of what happened to everyone after the war. There are colourful characters old and new, all united by love, laughter and tears: Fauna, the latest madam at the Bear Flag brothel, Doc, still there for everyone else but feeling strangely sad himself, and Suzy, the new hustler in town who might just be the girl to save him.

    15 in stock

    £9.49

  • To a God Unknown

    Penguin Books Ltd To a God Unknown

    4 in stock

    Book SynopsisWhile fulfilling his dead father''s dream of creating a prosperous farm in California, Joseph Wayne comes to believe that a magnificent tree on the farm embodies his father''s spirit. His brothers and their families share in Joseph''s prosperity andthe farm flourishes - until one brother, scared by Joseph''s pagan belief, kills the tree and brings disease and famine on the farm. Set in familiar Steinbeck country, TO A GOD UNKOWN is a mystical tale, exploring one man''s attempt to control theforces of nature and to understand the ways of God.

    4 in stock

    £13.49

  • Playscript Of Mice and Men

    Josef Weinberger Plays Playscript Of Mice and Men

    15 in stock

    Book Synopsis

    15 in stock

    £10.44

  • The Pastures of Heaven Penguin Modern Classics

    Penguin Books Ltd The Pastures of Heaven Penguin Modern Classics

    1 in stock

    Book SynopsisEach of these delightful interconnected tales is devoted to a family living in a fertile valley on the outskirts of Monterey, California, and the effects that one particular family has on them all. Steinbeck tackles two important literary traditions here; American naturalism, with its focus on the conflict between natural instincts and the demand to conform to society''s norms, and the short story cycle. Set in the heart of ''Steinbeck land'', the lush Californian valleys.

    1 in stock

    £11.24

  • The Long Valley

    Penguin Books Ltd The Long Valley

    2 in stock

    Book SynopsisThis classic collection of short stories serves as the ideal introduction to Steinbeck''s work. Set in the idyllic Salinas Valley in California, where simple people farm the land and struggle to find a place for themeselves in the world, these stories reflect many of the concerns key to Steinbeck as a writer; the tensions between town and city, labourers and owners, past and present. Included here are the celebrated tales, THE MURDERER and THE CHRYSANTHEMUMS.

    2 in stock

    £11.69

  • Steinbeck J Red Pony

    Penguin Books Ltd Steinbeck J Red Pony

    5 in stock

    Book SynopsisJody Tiflin is given a red pony, and later he is promised the colt of a bay mare. Yet both of these gifts bring him tragedy as well as joy, and Jody is taught not only the harsh lessons of life and death, but made painfully aware of the fallibilty of adults.

    5 in stock

    £8.54

  • The Wayward Bus

    Penguin Books Ltd The Wayward Bus

    3 in stock

    Book SynopsisThe Wayward Bus travels through the backroads of the lush California countryside, transporting the lost and the lonely to new destinations. Juan Chicoy is at the wheel, a man of the land, hot-blooded and uninhibited. His passengers include Ernest, a travelling salesman out for fun, seventeen-year-old Kit, also known as Pimples, and Camille the stripper who dances at stag nights and takes the star-struck young Norma under her wing. This powerful and unsentimental novel becomes a story of crisis and passion, love and longing, as the travellers reveal their secrets and journey away from their pasts and towards, possibly, the promise of the future. The Wayward Bus, with its profound insight into human desires and failings, remains one of Steinbeck''s most powerful novels.

    3 in stock

    £11.69

  • The Acts of King Arthur and his Noble Knights

    Penguin Books Ltd The Acts of King Arthur and his Noble Knights

    3 in stock

    Book SynopsisSteinbeck''s first posthumously published work, The Acts of King Arthur and His Noble Knights is a reinterpretation of tales from Malory''s Morte d''Arthur. In this highly successful attempt to render Malory into Modern English, Steinbeck recreated the rhythm and tone of the original Middle English.

    3 in stock

    £13.49

  • Of Mice and Men SparkNotes Literature Guide

    Spark Of Mice and Men SparkNotes Literature Guide

    2 in stock

    Book SynopsisWhen an essay is due and dreaded exams loom, this book offers students what they need to succeed. It provides chapter-by-chapter analysis, explanations of key themes, motifs and symbols, a review quiz, and essay topics. It is suitable for late-night studying and paper writing.

    2 in stock

    £7.49

  • Of Mice And Men Penguin Great Books of the 20th

    Penguin Publishing Group Of Mice And Men Penguin Great Books of the 20th

    2 in stock

    Book SynopsisA controversial tale of friendship and tragedy during the Great Depression   They are an unlikely pair: George is small and quick and dark of face; Lennie, a man of tremendous size, has the mind of a young child. Yet they have formed a family, clinging together in the face of loneliness and alienation. Laborers in California's dusty vegetable fields, they hustle work when they can, living a hand-to-mouth existence. For George and Lennie have a plan: to own an acre of land and a shack they can call their own. When they land jobs on a ranch in the Salinas Valley, the fulfillment of their dream seems to be within their grasp. But even George cannot guard Lennie from the provocations of a flirtatious woman, nor predict the consequences of Lennie's unswerving obedience to the things George taught him. A thriller, a gripping tale . . . that you will not set down until it is finished. Steinbeck has touched the quick. —The New York Times

    2 in stock

    £11.70

  • The Log from the Sea of Cortez

    Penguin Books Ltd The Log from the Sea of Cortez

    1 in stock

    Book SynopsisIn 1940 Steinbeck sailed in a sardine boat with his great friend the marine biologist, Ed Ricketts, to collect marine invertebrates from the beaches of the Gulf of California. The expedition was described by the two men in SEA OF CORTEZ, published in 1941. The day-to-day story of the trip is told here in the Log, which combines science, philosophy and high-spirited adventure.

    1 in stock

    £15.29

  • The Short Reign of Pippin IV

    Penguin Books Ltd The Short Reign of Pippin IV

    1 in stock

    Book SynopsisSteinbeck''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.

    1 in stock

    £11.69

  • Heyday Books The Harvest Gypsies: On the Road to the Grapes of

    Out of stock

    Book SynopsisSelected by NYU as one of the century's best books of American journalism.Gathered in this volume are seven long-form articles that John Steinbeck wrote in 1936 for The San Francisco News about the plight of migrant farmworkers during the Dust Bowl, accompanied by photographs by Dorothea Lange and others. Steinbeck toured the squatters' camps and Hoovervilles of California, creating unforgettable portraits of once strong, independent farmers reduced to misery. The inquisitiveness and outrage of an investigative reporter combined with the expressive powers of a novelist in his prime fueled The Harvest Gypsies, which in turn furnished the factual and emotional roots for The Grapes of Wrath and has long been hailed as an American classic in its own right.Trade Review"Written in the best tradition of advocacy journalism … Steinbeck moves among the migrants, pen in one hand, fruit pail in the other, alternately picking and penning his way to literary glory."—The Village Voice"Contains some of Steinbeck's best journalism."—The Nation"Steinbeck's potent blend of empathy and moral outrage was perfectly matched by the photographs of Dorothea Lange, who had caught the whole saga with her camera—the tents, the jalopies, the bindlestiffs, the pathos and courage of uprooted mothers and children."—San Francisco Review of Books"Steinbeck's journalism shares the enduring quality of his famous novel."—Publishers Weekly

    Out of stock

    £999.99

  • Zapata

    Penguin Books Ltd Zapata

    1 in stock

    Book SynopsisA new volume which includes the original screenplay, with its copious director''s notes, and the narrative - this has followed on from a previously undiscovered manuscript by Steinbeck being found in the UCLA Research Library - the narrative treatment of the story on which he based his screenplay.

    1 in stock

    £11.69

  • Burning Bright

    Penguin Books Ltd Burning Bright

    1 in stock

    Book Synopsis''A man can''t scrap his bloodline, can''t snip the thread of immortality.'' Such is the strength of Joe Saul''s desperate longing for a child, that he feels as if a dark curse is upon him after three unfruitful years of marriage. Yet unbeknown to him, he is sterile. His beautiful, young, devoted wife loves him so much that she secretly conceives the child of another man. But when Joe discovers her deception, his anguish is greater than ever before... A powerful, tragic and deeply moving tale.

    1 in stock

    £11.69

  • Penguin Books Ltd Cup Of Gold

    Out of stock

    Book SynopsisThis lush, lyrical fantasy is Steinbeck''s sole work of historical fiction. Henry Morgan ruled the Spanish Main in the 1670s, ravaging the coasts of Cuba and America and striking terror wherever he went. His lust and greed knew no bounds, and he was utterly consumed by two passions; to possess the mysterious woman known as La Santa Roja, the Red Saint, and to conquer Panama and wrest ''the cup of gold'' from Spanish hands.

    Out of stock

    £999.99

  • A Life in Letters

    Penguin Books Ltd A Life in Letters

    1 in stock

    Book SynopsisNobel Prize-winning author John Steinbeck is remembered as one of the greatest and best-loved American writers of the twentieth century. His complete works are available in Penguin Modern Classics.

    1 in stock

    £24.00

  • East of Eden

    Penguin Books Ltd East of Eden

    1 in stock

    Book SynopsisA masterpiece of Biblical scope, and the magnum opus of one of America’s most enduring authorsA Penguin Classic In his journal, Nobel Prize winner John Steinbeck called East of Eden “the first book,” and indeed it has the primordial power and simplicity of myth. Set in the rich farmland of California’s Salinas Valley, this sprawling and often brutal novel follows the intertwined destinies of two families—the Trasks and the Hamiltons—whose generations helplessly reenact the fall of Adam and Eve and the poisonous rivalry of Cain and Abel.The masterpiece of Steinbeck’s later years, East of Eden is a work in which Steinbeck created his most mesmerizing characters and explored his most enduring themes: the mystery of identity, the inexplicability of love, and the murderous consequences of love's absence. Adapted for the 1955 film directed by Elia Kazan introducing James Dean and read by t

    1 in stock

    £14.62

  • East of Eden

    Penguin Putnam Inc East of Eden

    Out of stock

    Book SynopsisThe biblical account of Cain and Abel is echoed in the history of two generations of the Trask family in California.

    Out of stock

    £17.10

  • Cannery Row

    Penguin Putnam Inc Cannery Row

    3 in stock

    Book SynopsisIt all begins with a letter. Fall in love with Penguin Drop Caps, a new series of twenty-six collectible and hardcover editions, each with a type cover showcasing a gorgeously illustrated letter of the alphabet. In a design collaboration between Jessica Hische and Penguin Art Director Paul Buckley, the series features unique cover art by Hische, a superstar in the world of type design and illustration, whose work has appeared everywhere from Tiffany & Co. to Wes Anderson's recent film Moonrise Kingdom to Penguin's own bestsellers Committed and Rules of Civility. With exclusive designs that have never before appeared on Hische's hugely popular Daily Drop Cap blog, the Penguin Drop Caps series debuted with an 'A' for Jane Austen's Pride and Prejudice, a 'B' for Charlotte Brönte's Jane Eyre, and a 'C' for Willa Cather's My Ántonia. It continues with more perennial classics, perfect to give as elegant gifts or to showcase on your own shel

    3 in stock

    £19.88

  • To a God Unknown

    Penguin Putnam Inc To a God Unknown

    10 in stock

    Book SynopsisA Penguin ClassicAncient pagan beliefs, the great Greek epics, and the Bible all inform this extraordinary novel by Nobel Prize winner John Steinbeck, which occupied him for more than five difficult years. While fulfilling his dead father’s dream of creating a prosperous farm in California, Joseph Wayne comes to believe that a magnificent tree on the farm embodies his father’s spirit. His brothers and their families share in Joseph’s prosperity, and the farm flourishes—until one brother, frightened by Joseph’s pagan belief, kills the tree, allowing disease and famine to descend on the farm. Set in familiar Steinbeck country, To a God Unknown is a mystical tale, exploring one man’s attempt to control the forces of nature and, ultimately, to understand the ways of God and the forces of the unconscious within. This edition features an introduction and notes by Steinbeck scholar Robert DeMott.For more than seventy years, Pen

    10 in stock

    £14.45

  • The Winter of Our Discontent

    Penguin Putnam Inc The Winter of Our Discontent

    Out of stock

    Book SynopsisThe final novel of one of America’s most beloved writers—a tale of degeneration, corruption, and spiritual crisisA Penguin Classic In awarding John Steinbeck the 1962 Nobel Prize in Literature, the Nobel committee stated that with The Winter of Our Discontent, he had “resumed his position as an independent expounder of the truth, with an unbiased instinct for what is genuinely American.” Ethan Allen Hawley, the protagonist of Steinbeck’s last novel, works as a clerk in a grocery store that his family once owned. With Ethan no longer a member of Long Island’s aristocratic class, his wife is restless, and his teenage children are hungry for the tantalizing material comforts he cannot provide. Then one day, in a moment of moral crisis, Ethan decides to take a holiday from his own scrupulous standards. Set in Steinbeck’s contemporary 1960 America, the novel explores the tenuous line between private and

    Out of stock

    £15.30

  • The Moon Is Down

    Penguin Putnam Inc The Moon Is Down

    10 in stock

    Book SynopsisOccupied by enemy troops, a small, peaceable town comes face-to-face with evil imposed from the outside—and betrayal born within the close-knit communityA Penguin Classic In this masterful tale set in Norway during World War II, Steinbeck explores the effects of invasion on both the conquered and the conquerors. As he delves into the emotions of the German commander and the Norwegian traitor, and depicts the spirited patriotism of the Norwegian underground, Steinbeck uncovers profound, often unsettling truths about war—and about human nature.Nobel Prize winner John Steinbeck’s self-described “celebration of the durability of democracy” had an extraordinary impact as Allied propaganda in Nazi-occupied Europe. Despite Axis efforts to suppress it (in Fascist Italy, mere possession of the book was punishable by death), The Moon is Down was secretly translated into French, Norwegian, Danish, Dutch, Swedish, Ge

    10 in stock

    £12.75

  • Travels with Charley In Search of America

    Penguin Putnam Inc Travels with Charley In Search of America

    1 in stock

    Book SynopsisAn intimate journey across America, as told by one of its most beloved writers   To hear the speech of the real America, to smell the grass and the trees, to see the colors and the light—these were John Steinbeck's goals as he set out, at the age of fifty-eight, to rediscover the country he had been writing about for so many years. With Charley, his French poodle, Steinbeck drives the interstates and the country roads, dines with truckers, encounters bears at Yellowstone and old friends in San Francisco. Along the way he reflects on the American character, racial hostility, the particular form of American loneliness he finds almost everywhere, and  the unexpected kindness of strangers.

    1 in stock

    £12.15

  • A Russian Journal

    Penguin Putnam Inc A Russian Journal

    10 in stock

    Book SynopsisSteinbeck and Capa’s account of their journey through Cold War Russia is a classic piece of reportage and travel writing. Featuring newly reset, high-resolution black and white photography by Robert Capa A Penguin Classic Just after the Iron Curtain fell on Eastern Europe, Pulitzer Prize-winning author 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. Hailed by the New York Times as “superb” when it first appeared in 1948, A Russian Journal is the distillation of their journey and remains a remarkable memoir and unique historical document. What they saw and movingly recorded in words and on film was what Steinbeck called “the great other side there &hel

    10 in stock

    £12.74

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