The Log from the Sea of Cortez (Penguin Classics)

Book Description

Today, nearly forty years after his death, Nobel Prize winner John Steinbeck remains one of America's greatest writers and cultural figures. Over the next year, his many works published as black-spine Penguin Classics for the first time and will feature eye-catching, newly commissioned art.

Penguin Classics is proud to present these seminal works to a new generation of readers—and to the many who revisit them again and again.

Customer Reviews:

Look for the Hansen Sea Cow..........2007-07-30

This is a classic book that is the synergy between two very different people. By the time you finish this, you will find you really like them... and wish you could have spent some time with them as well.
The science in the entire book is pretty good too.

The Log from the Sea of Cortez.......2007-03-22

The Log from the Sea of Cortez by John Steinbeck is the story of a group of men on a journey through the Gulf of California with the plan to study the marine organisms that lived there, but they ended up studying a lot more. As the book was written by a writer and not a scientist the scientific side is seen through a different angle. Amongst all of the stops to collect specimens are thrown Steinbeck's tangents about the ideas of the world, the way that people behave, and philosophical ideas.
Throughout the journey of the Western Flyer the company made many stops along the coast of the Baja peninsula and along mainland Mexico. At each one of these stops Steinbeck tells of the collecting and the names of the different organisms along with the environments that they lived in. Steinbeck does a careful job of describing the animals and plants and using their scientific names in order to make the book useful for scientific purposes.
The journey also contains many stops in the towns and cities that border the Gulf. At each one of these stops Steinbeck gives a detailed account of their experience and a description of the people and their culture. One feels like he is actually traveling through Mexico and meeting the people while reading the book.

The Log From the Sea of Cortez.......2007-03-04

This book is about a small crew of men, most of which are scientists. They rent a boat and set sail off the coast of California. They travel all over the sea on the coast of California and Mexico, in the Sea of Cortez. The point of this voyage is not for mere joy, it is for collecting, observing, and preserving species that inhabit the sea. The focus on the interdial zone for the most part.
This book documents the journey and all the adventures that take place. One of my favorite quotes from the book is " the reports of Biologists are the measure, not of science, but of the men themselves". These men took the time to log everything that they did. They were meticulous in their gathering, and studying.
This book is not just about the species they collected. It is about the men and the things they learned along the journey. They learned to slow down and actually look at life. They were able to ponder all kinds of life, theirs and those of land and sea. I would recommend this book to anyone interested in learning about themselves and the adventures that can occur while doing research.

Journal of travel and research.......2006-02-24

This nonfiction book is an account of a research/specimen collecting trip Steinbeck made with his friend and marine biologist Edward Ricketts off the coast of Baja California in 1940. They rent a boat, a purse-seiner called the "Western Flyer," stock her with supplies, hire a crew, and set sail on the afternoon of March 11, 1940.

The raison d'etre of the trip is collecting sea specimens, but Steinbeck is interested in more than just recording scientific data. The men go ashore at various ports along the way, and encounters with other men are related (in one, the inspiration for what later became THE PEARL is told). Both Ricketts and Steinbeck have a philosophical bent, and they discuss in detail teleological vs. nonteleological ways of interpreting the world. Likewise, ecology and their theory that everything in nature has its place and makes a contribution to the whole world system is examined. Both men enjoy drinking, and that becomes a topic of conversation at one point. It's plain from Steinbeck's writing that they are having a good time in addition to the successful collecting. At one stop, at which they are given an icy welcome, they believe they've come amongst gun smugglers. The trip comes to a happy end on April 13 as they head for Monterey Bay and home.

The books initial publication coincided with the attack on Pearl Harbor and was virtually forgotten. Only recently have critics studied the book carefully, especially in terms of what it has to say about the environment. Regardless of that, the book is entertaining and informative. His prose is at times lyrical, at other times outright funny (after talking to other boat captains over the radio about how much fish was caught, he says after they found out they were on a collecting mission the other boats paid no attention to them: "We were obviously ridiculous"). Included is Steinbeck's lengthy and lively biographical portrait of Ricketts, who was killed in a train accident. Worth checking out.

Non-teleological thinking.......2005-03-22

This book represents the log of a voyage Steinbeck took with Ed Ricketts collecting biological specimens from the Sea of Cortez during the spring of 1940. The goal of the trip was to document the variety of sea creatures that lived in the tidal pools of the region, as well as to bring back specimens for identification and further study. In total, the voyage lasted about 4 weeks, during which time Ricketts, Steinbeck, and the rest of the crew documented hundreds of species, thousands of specimens, and discovered several new creatures that had not been known before.

The book begins with a lengthy preface introducing readers to Ed "Doc" Ricketts. Ricketts, of course, was the mythical Doc featured in the Steinbeck classics "Cannery Row" and "Sweet Thursday". In this biography of Ricketts, Steinbeck provides some of the details of Rickett's life, and describes his chief character traits as Steinbeck perceived them.

By today's standards, their approach and attitudes towards the animals they were catching seem rather appalling. In the tidal pools, it seemed they grabbed everything that moved, as well as everything that didn't move but merely showed some signs of life. In this manner, they collected rare as well as common species. The ship's crew enjoyed the sport of catching a sea turtle, shooting a shark through its fin, and harpooning giant rays. Modern readers can at least take comfort in the thought that society has advanced to the point that such behavior is no longer found acceptable on a biological expedition. Even Steinbeck, however, was shocked by the methods used on a Japanese shrimp trawler that they encountered dredging in Mexican waters. The Japanese, with full permission from the Mexican government, were literally dredging the ocean floor, bringing up every last living thing, from sea fans to sharks in their nets. Whatever wasn't shrimp they threw back, where injured or dead, it was reduced to seagull food. Steinbeck noted the short-sightedness of this approach, how it left nothing behind for future generations, no shrimp, but also no other fish.

In the Steinbeck Museum in Salinas, CA, there is an exhibit with photographs of the expedition. In the center of one of the photographs is Carol Steinbeck, John's first wife, who was a crew member on this voyage, but who John managed to expunge completely from this written record. Nevertheless, he leaves us with a clue to her existence at the end of chapter 24, where he writes of a strong prejudice when there is a woman along on a voyage of scientific exploration, "the wife of one of the members of the party. She is never called by her name or referred to as an equal....She is nearly always a stringy blonde with leathery skin who is included in all photographs to give them `interest.'" Clearly, this account of the voyage is carefully crafted not to tell exactly what happened and to whom, but to represent the events as John chose to tell them. Most of the prose explores Steinbeck's and Rickett's concept of non-teleological thinking, where they take an idea and push its consequences beyond reasonable limits. Still, Steinbeck does provide a narrative account of the various collection stops they made, and what kinds of creatures predominated at each stop (this description was based on Rickett's notes). At the end of the book are a glossary of biological terms used and an index.

John Steinbeck: The Grapes of Wrath and Other Writings 1936-1941: The Grapes of Wrath, The Harvest Gypsies, The Long Valley, The Log from the Sea of Cortez (Library of America)

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it was great
Steinbeck's Art
A classic that is worth re-reading
The Grapes of Wrath

John Steinbeck: The Grapes of Wrath and Other Writings 1936-1941: The Grapes of Wrath, The Harvest Gypsies, The Long Valley, The Log from the Sea of Cortez (Library of America)
John Steinbeck
Manufacturer: Library of America
ProductGroup: Book
Binding: Hardcover

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ASIN: 1883011159

Book Description

This second volume in the authoritative edition of John Steinbeck (with "Novels and Stories, 1932-1937") features the Pulitzer-Prize winning masterpiece "The Grapes of Wrath" in a newly corrected text based on the author's manuscript, typescript, and galleys. "The Harvest Gypsies is Steinbeck's investigative report on migrant farm workers which laid the groundwork for the novel. "The Long Valley" displays his brilliance with short stories, including such classics as "The Chrysanthemums," "Flight," and "The Red Pony." "The Log from the Sea of Cortez," about a marine biological expedition, combines science, philosophy, and adventure.

Customer Reviews:

it was great.......1998-07-30

grapes of wrath is a great book. it is about a family that goes through ups and downs every chapter. and a man who wats to get his family back on track, cause his father lost his farm land in Oklahoma. So they head to California to find new jobs but there new jobs arn't the same as having there own land, cause when they had there own land they had no boss but when they head to Cali. they are not happy cause they are bossed around.

Steinbeck's Art.......1998-03-22

It is surely a shame that Mr. Steinbeck forever will be confined to the archipelago of socio-economico-political literature. Too often a smug reviewer writes of Steinbeck's "moving" portrayal of the Joad family and their struggle against a growing America. "Oh, how I can 'identify' with the Preacher!" HUMBUG. Mr. Steinbeck wrote words, not ideas. His art is exquisite and melodious and stock-full of imagery. His structure, even in the volumunious Grapes, is compact and economical. His style, even in the scientific Log, is artistic and exact. And his ideas, even in the idea-ed Harvest, are irrelevant. Buy this book. But don't buy it because the blurb on the back says something about the Joads being an American archetype of the twentieth century; instead, buy it because it is literature - American literature - at its finest. Every sentence. Every word.

A classic that is worth re-reading.......1998-03-21

I, like many, first read this _The Grapes of Wrath_ in high school. Then, it piqued a great curiosity about recent (this century) American history that my teachers could never satisfy. A recent re-reading, however, has shown me the great depth that I missed the first time. Read it slowly, savor the dogged, determined hopelessness that was life for many of our immediate ancestors. From the sad beginning to the desperate ending, it will teach you, and reach you.

The Grapes of Wrath.......1998-03-20

Political statements are always dangerous: one either completely convinces a reader of one's argument or forever alienates them. And, unfortunately, the end result is rarely dependent upon the quality or force of argument made by the author, but rather entirely dependent upon the notions with which the reader entered the "discussion".

Knowing this, it seems that one has to be of a particular mindset in order to enjoy the novels collected in "The Grapes of Wrath and Other Writings 1938-1941". The novels of this compilation attack many of the ideals upon which this country was founded -- and they do so by looking closely at those who have never really benefited from those ideals. This attack is carried out most effectively in the most prominent of the packaged novels: Steinbeck's classic "The Grapes of Wrath."

At an abstract level, this particular novel is an impassioned plea for change ... one that left many readers at the time of its publication both angry and frightened, and resulted in the book being placed on many academic "Banned" lists, and caused Steinbeck himself to be branded by some as anti-American.

That said, it is my opinion that "The Grapes of Wrath" is one of the best novels ever written, because it tells the story of those most affected by the Great Depression - those who never had much in the first place. In particular, it focuses on the Joad family as they are forced to relocate to California, to try to find enough work to put food on the table. Along with thousands of other displaced sharecroppers they are lured by colorful handbills advertising great jobs for all. California becomes Mecca to the families, many of whom have literally been forced out of their homes. Desperate, the families sell all of their belongings, buy cheap cars, and begin the arduous journey. Many do not make it, and those who do find to their dismay that all is not as promised.

This is an extremely powerful novel. The reader comes to know the members of the Joad family and their friends as people, not just as characters in a story. We are able to identify with them as they suffer hardship after hardship. Written in an accessible style, and spellbinding throughout, this novel is certainly a deserving classic, and it dominates this excellent new collection of Steinbeck's fiction.

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THE GRAPES OF WRATH AND OTHER WRITINGS 1936-1941. The Long Valley, The Grapes of Wrath, The Log from the Sea of Cortez, The Harvest Gypsies
John. Steinbeck
Manufacturer: Library of America,
ProductGroup: Book
Binding: Hardcover

Steinbeck, John | Classics | United States | World Literature | Literature & Fiction | Subjects | Books
ASIN: B000N7EJDY

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The Log From The Sea of Cortez
John Steinbeck
Manufacturer: Viking Press
ProductGroup: Book
Binding: Paperback

Steinbeck, John | Classics | United States | World Literature | Literature & Fiction | Subjects | Books
ASIN: B000KEWG4E

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The Log from the Sea of Cortez
John Steinbeck
Manufacturer: Penguin
ProductGroup: Book
Binding: Mass Market Paperback

Steinbeck, John | Classics | United States | World Literature | Literature & Fiction | Subjects | Books
ASIN: B000LC2L2W

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The Log from the Sea of Cortez
John Steinbeck
Manufacturer: Heinemann
ProductGroup: Book
Binding: Paperback

Steinbeck, John | Classics | United States | World Literature | Literature & Fiction | Subjects | Books
ASIN: B000OGOQEQ

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The log from the Sea of Cortez: The narrative portion of the book Sea of Cortez with a profile "About Ed Ricketts"
John Steinbeck
Manufacturer: Distributed by Heron Books
ProductGroup: Book
Binding: Hardcover

Steinbeck, John | Classics | United States | World Literature | Literature & Fiction | Subjects | Books
ASIN: B0007JAR7U

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The log from the Sea of Cortez;: The narrative portion of the book, Sea of Cortez,
John Steinbeck
Manufacturer: Viking Press
ProductGroup: Book
Binding: Unknown Binding

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ASIN: B0006ASTH0

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The Log from the Sea of Cortez
John Steinbeck
Manufacturer: Penguin Books
ProductGroup: Book
Binding: Paperback

Steinbeck, John | Classics | United States | World Literature | Literature & Fiction | Subjects | Books
ASIN: B000O6FNEI

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The Log From The Sea Of Cortez The Narrative Portion Of The Book Sea Of Cortez By John E. Steinbeck and E.F. Ricketts 1941 here Reissued with a Profile About Ed Ricketts
John Steinbeck
Manufacturer: The Viking Press
ProductGroup: Book
Binding: Paperback

Steinbeck, John | Classics | United States | World Literature | Literature & Fiction | Subjects | Books
ASIN: B000N31NGO

Book Description

Way upstairs there are four secrets hidden.

Blond, beautiful, innocent little secrets, struggling to stay alive.

Flowers In the Attic

The four Dollanganger children had such perfect lives -- a beautiful mother, a doting father, a lovely home. Then Daddy was killed in a car accident, and Momma could no longer support the family. So she began writing letters to her parents, her millionaire parents, whom the children had never heard of before.

Momma tells the children all about their rich grandparents, and how Chris and Cathy and the twins will live like princes and princesses in their grandparents' fancy mansion. The children are only too delighted by the prospect. But there are a few things that Momma hasn't told them.

She hasn't told them that their grandmother considers them "devil's spawn" who should never have been born. She hasn't told them that she has to hide them from their grandfather if she wants to inherit his fortune. She hasn't told them that they are to be locked away in an abandoned wing of the house with only the dark, airless attic to play in. But, Momma promises, it's only for a few days....

Then the days stretch into months, and the months into years. Desperately isolated, terrified of their grandmother, and increasingly convinced that their mother no longer cares about them, Chris and Cathy become all things to the twins and to each other. They cling to their love as their only hope, their only strength -- a love that is almost stronger than death.

Customer Reviews:

Suffer the Little Children.......2007-09-28

This was the first V.C.Andrews book I read, I was probably around 12 years old the same age as Cathy is in the story. I had no idea what I was getting myself into. I devoured this book, because it took me to a world I had never experienced. Books are supposed to transport you, stimulate your imagination, and endear you to their characters and places this one does just that and more. I wanted to be a Dollanganger, I had the blonde hair and blue eyes but I wanted the fierceness in their souls also.
This book is about a family and I warn everyone that loves a saga, this one is a doozy. It has a mom and dad, two boys and two girls. Innocent enough right, but wait there's more! The father tragically dies, and the mom reveals that they are grossly in debt, that nothing is paid for so she wrote her mother for help. Her parents, it turns out, are rich as Rockefellers but there is a catch. The mom explains that she needs to get back into her parents "good graces" so the kids wont be sipping champagne by the pool until she does. They pack their belongings and in the dead of night travel to the grandparents grand estate. Quickly they are stewarded up to a secluded wing of the house, to a room that is 16 x 16, where they are to stay until the grandfather forgives their mothers sins. The grandmother is terrifying. She doesn't knit, or bake pies; she doles out scripture and says funny things like "your kids look normal" and "abominations". You feel for the kids, locked away in dark rooms, cold food to eat, always having to be quiet, their only playground is a huge dusty attic. The mother promises "a few days" but it turns into weeks, and months and years.

We are right there with Cathy and Chris and Carrie and Cory, children that are forced to grow up quickly in their minds, while some of their bodies don't grow at all. Kids need to be outside and they need the sunlight, without it they will whither away into wispy husks. This book is about their struggle to remain a family, and the journey into finding out the truth about their parents. It's about the cruelty of imprisonment and biblical damnation. Do the sins of the father revisit the son? Is the past destined to repeat itself? I have probably read this book 25+ times, it's engraved into my psyche. I don't know how to explain the fascination, other than that they characters themselves are so powerfully written, that you have to go back again and again to "visit".

An interesting note V.C. Andrews was born in 1923 and died of breast cancer in 1986. She herself wrote all of the Dollanganger series, My Sweet Audrina, and the first two in the Heaven series. After her death, her family hired a ghost writer named Andrew Neiderman to write more stories to be published under V.C. Andrews's name; he has since written 58 (!!!) novels that are supposedly "inspired" by the original writer's works. I have read a couple of his stories, and they are weak watered down insipid skeletal rip-offs of V.C. Andrews's genius. I think it's disgusting that her estate decided to keep cashing in on her name. I would think that any writer would want to be remembered for their work, their stories, and their characters. V.C. Andrews wrote from her heart and soul and she lives eternally through them forever.

Eloguent author & excellend book.......2007-09-23

Flowers in the Attic (Dollanganger)V.C. Andrews is a gifted author who literally paints pictures & invokes emotions with words. My daughter loves her works & is currently reading the entire "Dollanganger" series. I would recommend this to anyone who truly loves to read.

V.C. ANDREWS, BY FAR THE BEST!!!.......2007-09-07

i love all of v.c. andrews books. this is by far the best series. it's just something about andrews books, and her stories, that captivates you, and pulls you in. such a talented author, and knew how to spin a story, to make it the worst it could be. she's definitely my favorite, as all her books are as well. my whole collection is very treasured. back to the book. this is the beginning of a nightmare, that seems to never end. four innocent children thrust into the world of greed, revenge, and dishonesty. their mother being the only person in the world in who to believe, but all that is lost. they must learn to fend for themselves while being locked away, to be forgotten. their only recluse is the attic. there they find comfort, and their make believe version of the outside world. while slowly fading away, seeing less of their mother, and depending more on themselves than ever. chris and kathy's love grows, but it is forbidden. they must overcome tragedy, abandonment, and the loss of the person they most trusted. they will learn secrets never imagined, and the reason why their gramdmother sees them as evil. four young children forced to grow up without nurture, guidance, and love. it's impossible not to love this book. the series after is also great. i do encourage you read it.

Great book as a teenager, OK book as an adult.......2007-09-02

I first read this book when I was 12. At that time, FITA was the most amazing book I had ever read. It felt naughty and evil and oh so grown up and wonderful. Going back and reading it as an adult it seems a little more like it was written exclusivly for it's shock value aimed at teens. I have to say though I still enjoyed it but in a different way than I did as an adolecent. If you have never read it, give it a shot. It's a decent story with interesting characters, and a plot where you would never guess the twists and turns. I would suggest the sequels and prequel as well, to help you better understand the characters and where they come from.

Un-put-down-able.......2007-08-15

This book has not won any awards for literature, nor should it, yet this story has a quality about it that engages the reader in a morbid curiosity to follow it right through to the end.

Set in the 50's this story follows four children to an old mansion, convinced by their Mother to hide out in a single bedroom connected to an attic whilst their Mother attempts to win back her father's affection and fortune.

This story has the feel of a gothic horror/come trashy thriller, with dramatically morbid themes that cover the spectrum of child abuse and neglect, incest, greed and murder. It creates a rare, unhealthy and unusual atmosphere that makes this book very hard to put down. This story takes the reader into the world of four children whose trust and love for their Mother is strectched over a 3 and a half year period as they are locked away like prisoners from the real world, forcing them to grow together unaturally for their own need for comfort and love.

Very entertaining.

Flores En El Atico / Flowers in the Attic (Best Seller)

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Flores En El Atico

Flores En El Atico / Flowers in the Attic (Best Seller)
V. C. Andrews
ProductGroup: Book
Binding: Paperback

Spanish | Foreign Language Fiction | Literature & Fiction | Subjects | Books

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Jardin Sombrio/ Garden of Shadows (Best Seller)

ASIN: 849759746X

Customer Reviews:

Flores En El Atico.......2007-08-27

I enjoyed reading this book in Spanish to practice my Spainsh. I found out I have to practice it a lot.

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Flowers in the Attic
V.C. Andrews
Manufacturer: Simon and Schuster
ProductGroup: Book
Binding: Hardcover

ASIN: B000MWKK9W

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Flower Garden Pineapple Doilies
Annie's Attic
Manufacturer: DRG Publishing
ProductGroup: Book
Binding: Paperback

All 4-for-3 Deals | 4-for-3 Books Store | Stores | Books
ASIN: 1596350253

Product Description

This book contains nine (9) exquisite pineapple doilies. These doilies are all blooming with colors and flowers.

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Flowers In The Attic
V. C. Andrews
Manufacturer: Pocket Books
ProductGroup: Book
Binding: Mass Market Paperback
ASIN: B000K6ET7E

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Birthday Flower Bookmarks (Craft Book)
Annie's Attic
Manufacturer: Annie's Attic
ProductGroup: Book
Binding: Pamphlet
ASIN: B000O2KAEK

Product Description

Some pages have written text -- Stitching Craft Book

THE DOLLANGANGER FAMILY SERIES-COMPLETE (FLOWERS IN THE ATTIC, PETALS ON THE WIND, IF THERE BE THORNS, SEEDS OF YESTERDAY, and GARDEN OF SHADOWS

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THE DOLLANGANGER FAMILY SERIES-COMPLETE (FLOWERS IN THE ATTIC, PETALS ON THE WIND, IF THERE BE THORNS, SEEDS OF YESTERDAY, and GARDEN OF SHADOWS
V.C. Andrews
Manufacturer: Pocket
ProductGroup: Book
Binding: Paperback
ASIN: B000QC5MIC

The Dollanger Series; Flowers in the Attic, Petals on the Wind, If There Be Thorns, Seeds of Yesterday, Garden of Shadows (Set of 5)

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The Dollanger Series; Flowers in the Attic, Petals on the Wind, If There Be Thorns, Seeds of Yesterday, Garden of Shadows (Set of 5)
V.C. Andrews
Manufacturer: Simon & Schuster
ProductGroup: Book
Binding: Hardcover
ASIN: B000MTM2FU

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Flower Attic Pstr
Andrews
Manufacturer: Pocket
ProductGroup: Book
Binding: Paperback

Contemporary | General | Literature & Fiction | Subjects | Books
ASIN: 0671101234

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Flowers In The Attic

Manufacturer: Pocket Books
ProductGroup: Book
Binding: Mass Market Paperback
ASIN: B000HIPOK6

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