Travels with Charley in Search of America - Penguin Classics Deluxe Edition | Road Trip Adventure Book | Perfect for Travel Enthusiasts & American Literature Lovers
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Product Description
A collectible 50th anniversary deluxe edition featuring an updated introduction by Jay Parini and first edition cover art and illustrated maps of Steinbeck’s route by Don FreemanA Penguin Classic In September 1960, John Steinbeck embarked on a journey across America. He felt that he might have lost touch with the country, with its speech, the smell of its grass and trees, its color and quality of light, the pulse of its people. To reassure himself, he set out on a voyage of rediscovery of the American identity, accompanied by a distinguished French poodle named Charley; and riding in a three-quarter-ton pickup truck named Rocinante. His course took him through almost forty states: northward from Long Island to Maine; through the Midwest to Chicago; onward by way of Minnesota, North Dakota, Montana (with which he fell in love), and Idaho to Seattle, south to San Francisco and his birthplace, Salinas; eastward through the Mojave, New Mexico, Arizona, to the vast hospitality of Texas, to New Orleans and a shocking drama of desegregation; finally, on the last leg, through Alabama, Virginia, Pennsylvania, and New Jersey to New York.Travels with Charley in Search of America is an intimate look at one of America's most beloved writers in the later years of his life—a self-portrait of a man who never wrote an explicit autobiography. Written during a time of upheaval and racial tension in the South—which Steinbeck witnessed firsthand—Travels with Charley is a stunning evocation of America on the eve of a tumultuous decade. This Penguin Classics Deluxe Edition also features French flaps and deckle-edged paper.For more than seventy years, Penguin has been the leading publisher of classic literature in the English-speaking world. With more than 1,700 titles, Penguin Classics represents a global bookshelf of the best works throughout history and across genres and disciplines. Readers trust the series to provide authoritative texts enhanced by introductions and notes by distinguished scholars and contemporary authors, as well as up-to-date translations by award-winning translators.
Customer Reviews
John Steinbeck, a Nobel prize winner, decided in 1960 that he could no longer continue writing books about the country, before he went out to see the whole thing for himself. He then decided that he would complete a ten thousand mile long journey across the United States in search of rediscovering America. In order to complete this journey Steinbeck decided to build a camper van to make sure that his journey would remain comfortable and run smoothly. He named his van named Rocinante after an author that he admires. Steinbeck would have to leave the safe comfort of his home and the environment that he is used to. He was able to complete the journey with his trustee poodle Charley. They encountered several obstacles along the way but they together were able to overcome the challenges that were presented before them. In the beginning, Steinbeck didn’t necessarily set out with the intention of publishing his journey across the United States. His original plan was to simply take notes over what he had seen and maybe write about it in the future. In the very beginning of the book, there was a little boy who used to live across the street. He wanted nothing more than to accompany Steinbeck on his journey in rediscovering America. This was a moment that stuck out to me, because I think it is well related to my project. This little boy represents the part of us inside that wants to drop everything and set out across the United States. The boy is not able to come however, because he has other obligations that are necessary in New York. In a way I think this represents most people who would love to pursue their passion, but because of other obligations, are not able to in their lifetime. In this book, Steinbeck hits the road with only his poodle. Because of this he spends much of his time alone. This seems to be good for him in a way. Over the course of the book, the dialogue with his dog Charley changes. Charley becomes almost a best friend to Steinbeck, and the conversations between the two become more complex and full length conversations. Steinbeck often lacks depth in conversations with the strangers that he meets along the journey. This makes one of the overarching themes of the text, loneliness and isolation. Another theme that is found throughout the text is change. The only constant that remains throughout the text is Rocinante and Charley. The reader can experience the journey through the eyes of the eyes of the adventurer. Through this, we see the small and minute changes that there are regionally, to the drastic changes such as the landscape across the nation. One of these changes that Steinbeck addresses is the local dialect. He worries that because of nation wide communication, we are losing our regional uniqueness. This is why Travels With Charley is a perfect glimpse into our nation’s past and the time period of when this book was written. This ties into my “this” project, because I am exploring the ways that Americans from across the nation express their american creed in ways that are unique and different. This book fits in very well to my project, because of the theme of travel and exploring the unseen America. When the book starts with Steinbeck having the urge to pick up and go, this gave me the idea that most Americans have the urge to explore. When Steinbeck was talking about all of the differences in our nation, this also made me realize how similar we are as a whole. I think I can look into this more to see what the American creed is, that is holding everyone together. I would definitely recommend this book to other readers. I would say this book would be perfect for anybody who is curious about and wants to learn more about American travel. Anybody who has a sense of adventure and would like to explore this through the eyes of someone who has personal experience in travel, would love to read this book. Steinbeck keeps this book interesting and gives the reader a sense that they are actually on the adventure with him.
