"There is no writer more quintessentially American than John Steinbeck. More than three decades after his death, he remains one of America's most beloved authors. Yet his nonfiction - the writings in which he spoke directly about his world - have long been overlooked. Now, in celebration of the centennial of his birth, this original collection brings together for the first time more than fifty of Steinbeck's finest essays and journalistic pieces, from his 1936 series of newspaper articles."--Jacket.