Society & Culture
The novelist John Steinbeck (The Grapes of Wrath, East of Eden) was a giant of American literature and a peripatetic traveler. He also wrote one of the most charming of travel books, Travels with Charley, about a journey he took with his dog in 1960 to reacquaint himself with the country he was famous for describing. Steinbeck's widow Elaine accompanied him on most of his travels in the 18 years of their marriage. She was a prolific letter writer all of her adult life, and her letters and snapshots of their trips comprise the heart of a Steinbeck auction scheduled for February 27th in New Jersey. Our guide for this dive into Steinbeckiana is Charlie Potters, a consulting archivist for the auction house Curated Estates. And on My Favorite Trip: more Steinbeck. A couple of excerpts from Travels with Charley.