Classic / American English (Available February 2008) All novels are built on the never-ending contest in ourselves between good and evil. John Steinbeck, one of Americas greatest writers, considered East of Eden to be his most important work. Set in California, the novel is a story of love and jealousy, forgiveness and revengeand what it means to be human
Steinbeck''s most powerful novel describes the lives of a homeless farming family as they travel across America in the Great Depression of the 1930s. The family face hardship and hostility at every step of the way as they struggle to survive in a country where kindness seems no longer to exist.
John Steinbeck''s masterpiece celebrates the spirit and courage of adolescence. Jody Tiflin has the urge for rebellion, but he also wants to be loved. In THE RED PONY, Jody begins to learn about adulthood - its pain, its responsibilities and its problems - through his acceptance of his father''s gifts. First he 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 fallibility of adults.
In 1940 John Steinbeck and his great friend Edward Ricketts, director of the Pacific Biological Laboratories and the original of Doc in "Cannery Row", joined forces for a six-weeks' fishing trip to collect marine specimens in the Gulf of California, once known as the Sea of Cortez. In 1948 Ricketts was killed in an accident, and Steinbeck was moved to write down everything he could remember about his extraordinary friend - scientist, philosopher, eccentric and womanizer. This affectionate profile is published alongside the day-to-day account of their maritime expedition, a blend of scientific research and riotous adventure.
