Rare Books

Tortilla Flat

Image not available

Description: Adopting the structure and themes of Arthurian legend, John Steinbeck creates a "Camelot" on a shabby hillside above Monterey on the California coast and peoples it with a colorful band of knights. As he chronicles the thoughts and emotions, temptations and lusts of the "knights", Steinbeck spins a tale as compelling as the famous legends of the Round Table.
Type: Rare Books(Opens in new tab)
Publication date: [1935]
Call number: 657127
Creator: Steinbeck, John (1902-1968)(Opens in new tab)
Provenance: Purchased for The Huntington from Funke Literary, LLC, by the Library Collectors' Council, March 2025.

Travels with Charley : in search of America

Rare Books

Thirty-five years ago, when "searching for America" was not yet the cliche it has since become, Steinbeck hit the highways with his French poodle, Charley. In a custom-built camper he named Rosinante after Don Quixote's steed, the two traveled the country--10,000 miles and 34 states. Their varied experiences comprise several slices of small-town back-roads Americana. Steinbeck laments the rise of plastic-covered everything, the vacuousness of "sad souls" he encounters, and the homogenization of local and regional culture. But bright spots abound, and Steinbeck rarely forsakes his humor and his hope in the human spirit. He reluctantly swings through the deep, segregated South before he concludes his trip. Here the ugly specter of racism pervades all, and Steinbeck's chronicle is profoundly disturbing.

624131

Image not available

The acts of King Arthur and his noble knights : from the Winchester manuscripts of Thomas Malory and other sources

Rare Books

A retelling, in modern language, of Malory's tales of King Arthur and his knights.

608027

Image not available

John Fearnley collection on John and Elaine Steinbeck

Manuscripts

Letters between John Steinbeck, his wife Elaine, and John Fearnley, a director and casting director working for the Rodgers & Hammerstein Organization at the time. Correspondence discusses the Rodgers & Hammerstein musical Pipe Dream, which was based on Steinbeck's novel Sweet Thursday (1954); ideas for a new production; and Steinbeck's enjoyment of living in England while writing his last novel. A 1967 letter from Elaine Steinbeck describes the couple's life in Vietnam while John Steinbeck was working as a war correspondent there. Many letters incorporate nicknames the three devised on a trip during the Pipe Dream run: Inside Straight (John Steinbeck), Queen Radio (Elaine Steinbeck), and Small Change (John Fearnley). Some letters also include a Pigasus stamp, a flying pig motif Steinbeck used throughout his life as a symbol of himself. There is also one letter to Elaine Steinbeck from Richard Lewine, former managing director of the Rodgers & Hammerstein Organization, advising her about John Fearnley's eulogy; and a fragment likely written by John Fearnley.

mssFearnley

Image not available

Elaine Steinbeck notes

Manuscripts

mssFearnley

Tortilla Flat

Opening Hours

Admission Info and Tickets

You might also be interested in

Tortilla flat

Tortilla flat

Travels with Charley : in search of America

The acts of King Arthur and his noble knights : from the Winchester manuscripts of Thomas Malory and other sources

John Fearnley collection on John and Elaine Steinbeck

Elaine Steinbeck notes