Cannery Row in Monterey in California is a poem, a stink, a grating noise, a quality of light, a tone, a habit, a nostalgia, a dream.
 
Cannery Row
John Steinbeck
New York, 1944
 
Uncorrected galley proofs - a scarce pre-publication state bound in plain brown wrappers. Tiny split at spine bottom, leaves very mildly toned, else a really brilliant Fine copy.
 
A poetic, existential meditation set in Great Depression Monterey, it’s one of his most enigmatic works, and Steinbeck seemed to take some satisfaction in critics’ puzzlements.
 
As with most iconic authors, market saturation of many notable works reigns in the collecting world. This copy offers a paradisic refuge in a sea of sameness.