Synopses & Reviews
A controversial tale of friendship and tragedy during the Great Depression
Over seventy-five years since its first publication, Steinbecks tale of commitment, loneliness, hope, and loss remains one of Americas most widely read and taught novels. An unlikely pair, George and Lennie, two migrant workers in California during the Great Depression, grasp for their American Dream. 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, nor predict the consequences of Lennie's unswerving obedience to the things George taught him.
Of Mice and Men represents an experiment in form, which Steinbeck described as a kind of playable novel, written in a novel form but so scened and set that it can be played as it stands.” A rarity in American letters, it achieved remarkable success as a novel, a Broadway play, and three acclaimed films. This edition features an introduction by Susan Shillinglaw, one of todays leading Steinbeck scholars.
For more than sixty-five years, Penguin has been the leading publisher of classic literature in the English-speaking world. With more than 1,500 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.
Review
“[Shillinglaw is] a scintillating guide. Shillinglaw explores the novels layers of meaning, richly mining cultural context, history, and social thought, as well as Steinbecks own background, work process, and politics. The captivating result resembles an extended college lecture series, appealingly combining personal reflections and a conversational tone with accessible scholarship.”
—Publisher's Weekly (Book of the Week Selection)
"Shillinglaw provides, moreover, a richly detailed account of the growth of The Grapes of Wrath...This book will appeal to serious students of Steinbecks work, particularly those interested in his connection to ecology and the environmental movement."
—Library Journal
"In Shillinglaw, Steinbeck, who died in 1968, has an ardent reader, dedicated to the urgency and everlasting timeliness of the author's work. More than the Nobel Prize, the Pulitzer Prize, the National Book Award and countless other decorations, this would have mattered to him."
—Newsday
"A concise yet penetrating study of the genesis of the book and its interlocking themes...[Shillinglaw is] an astute critic."
—Bookpage
"As Shillinglaw so well demonstrates, Grapes is not only “an urgent book,” but it is also a work of art that has withstood the test of time. Her own On Reading The Grapes of Wrath has enduring merit as well; like a good teacher, it instructs and delights. With its accompanying notes, Shillinglaws little 206-page tome is such a learning experience—invaluable for teaching, researching, and understanding more fully the complexity of Grapes, with its multiple layers of content and meaning."
—Steinbeck Review
"Nobody whos ever managed to enjoy The Grapes of Wrath should miss this powerfully memorable little study of it."
—Open Letters Monthly
"Longtime Steinbeck fans and first-time readers alike will find much to enrich their understanding of The Grapes of Wrath in Shillinglaw's book."
—Tampa Bay times
"For those familiar with the novel, try reading this book and then return for a rereading of Steinbecks classic. You will find it a much more rewarding experience after you have pondered the contents of Shillinglaws book."
—The Salinas Californian
"Susan Shillinglaw brings [the power of Steinbeck's novel] out beautifully in her excellent On Reading The Grapes of Wrath."
—Shelf Awareness
Synopsis
Celebrating its 75th anniversary,
John Steinbeck's Of Mice and Men remains on of America's most widely read and beloved novels. An unlikely pair, George and Lennie, two migrant workers in California during the Great Depression, grasp for their American Dream in a tale of commitment, loneliness, hope and loss. From the Nobel Prize-winning author of
The Grapes of Wrath and
East of Eden, this Steinbeck Centennial Edition features French flaps and deckled pages. George and his simple-minded friend Lenny dream, as drifters will, of a place to call their owna couple of acres and a few pigs, chickens, and rabbits back in Hill Country where land is cheap. But after they come to work on a ranch in the fertile Salinas Valley of California, their hopes, like the best laid schemes omice an men,” begin to go awry.
Of Mice and Men also represents an experiment in form, as Steinbeck described his work, a kind of playable novel, written in novel form but so scened and set that it can be played as it stands.” A rarity in American letters, it achieved remarkable success as a novel, a Broadway play, and three acclaimed films. Susan Shillinglaw is a professor of English at San Jose State University and scholar in residence at the National Steinbeck Center. She has published widely on Steinbeck, most recently A Journey into Steinbecks California (2006) and a forthcoming biography of Carol and John Steinbeck.
Synopsis
In this compelling biography of a book, Susan Shillinglaw delves into John Steinbeck's classic to explore the cultural, social, political, scientific, and creative impact of The Grapes of Wrath upon first publication, as well as its enduring legacy. First published in April 1939, Steinbeck's National Book Award-winning epic of the Great Depression chronicles the Dust Bowl migration of the 1930s and the story of one Oklahoma farm family, the Joads, driven from their homestead and forced to travel west to the promised land of California. The story of their struggle remains eerily relevant in today's America and stands as a portrait of the conflict between the powerful and the powerless, in the souls of the people.
Synopsis
From a swashbuckling pirate fantasy to a meditation on American moralitytwo classic Steinbeck novels make their black spine debuts
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 novel's protagonist, works as a clerk in a grocery store that his prominent family once owned. Without status in the town, 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. In The Winter of Our Discontent, John Steinbeck, perhaps the master writer of the American working class, explores the cultural malaise of the 1960s and its far-ranging implications: social, familial, and personal.
Synopsis
One of todays foremost Steinbeck scholars writes an extended meditation on the influence of The Grapes of Wrath, to commemorate the 75th anniversary of its first publication
In this compelling biography of a book, Susan Shillinglaw delves into John Steinbecks classic to explore the cultural, social, political, scientific, and creative impact of The Grapes of Wrath upon first publication, as well as its enduring legacy. First published in April 1939, Steinbecks National Book Awardwinning epic of the Great Depression chronicles the Dust Bowl migration of the 1930s and the story of one Oklahoma farm family, the Joads, driven from their homestead and forced to travel west to the promised land of California. The story of their struggle remains eerily relevant in todays America and stands as a portrait of the conflict between the powerful and the powerless, in the souls of the people.”
Synopsis
The final novel of one of Americas most beloved writersa tale of degeneration, corruption, and spiritual crisis
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 Steinbecks last novel, works as a clerk in a grocery store that his family once owned. With Ethan no longer a member of Long Islands 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 Steinbecks contemporary 1960 America, the novel explores the tenuous line between private and public honesty, and today ranks alongside his most acclaimed works of penetrating insight into the American condition. This Penguin Classics edition features an introduction and notes by leading Steinbeck scholar Susan Shillinglaw.
For more than sixty-five years, Penguin has been the leading publisher of classic literature in the English-speaking world. With more than 1,500 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.
Synopsis
Over seventy-five years since its first publication, Steinbecks tale of commitment, loneliness, hope, and loss remains one of Americas most widely read and taught novels. An unlikely pair, George and Lennie, two migrant workers in California during the Great Depression, grasp for their American Dream. 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, nor predict the consequences of Lennie's unswerving obedience to the things George taught him.
Of Mice and Men represents an experiment in form, which Steinbeck described as a kind of playable novel, written in a novel form but so scened and set that it can be played as it stands.” A rarity in American letters, it achieved remarkable success as a novel, a Broadway play, and three acclaimed films. This edition features an introduction by Susan Shillinglaw.
Synopsis
Todays foremost Steinbeck scholar writes an extended meditation on the influence of The Grapes of Wrath, to commemorate the 75th anniversary of its first publication In this compelling biography of a book, Susan Shillinglaw delves into John Steinbecks classic to explore the cultural, social, political, scientific, and creative impact of The Grapes of Wrath upon first publication, as well as its enduring legacy. First published in April 1939, Steinbecks National Book Awardwinning epic of the Great Depression chronicles the Dust Bowl migration of the 1930s and the story of one Oklahoma farm family, the Joads, driven from their homestead and forced to travel west to the promised land of California. The story of their struggle remains eerily relevant in todays America and stands as a portrait of the conflict between the powerful and the powerless, in the souls of the people.”
About the Author
Susan Shillinglaw is a professor of English at San Jose State University and the 2012-13 President's Scholar. She has published widely on Steinbeck, including introductions to Penguin Classics editions of Steinbeck's works as well as A Journey into Steinbeck's California (2006) and Carol and John Steinbeck: Portrait of a Marriage (2013). From 1987 to 2005 she was the Director of the Center for Steinbeck Studies at San Jose State.