{"product_id":"cannery-row-1","title":"Cannery Row","description":"\u003cp\u003e6b John Steinbeck. New York: The Viking Press, 1945. \u003cstrong\u003eFirst issue, first edition.\u003c\/strong\u003e\u003c\/p\u003e\n\u003cp\u003e\u003cstrong\u003eNotes\u003c\/strong\u003e\u003c\/p\u003e\n\u003cdiv class=\"n6owBd awi2gc\" data-sfc-cp=\"\" data-sfc-root=\"c\" data-sfc-cb=\"\" data-hveid=\"CAAIFhAA\" data-complete=\"true\" data-processed=\"true\" data-copy-service-computed-style='font-family: \"Google Sans\", \"Helvetica Neue\", sans-serif; font-size: 16px; font-weight: 400; margin: 12px 0px 16px; text-decoration: none; border-bottom: 0px rgb(10, 10, 10);'\u003eSet against the gritty backdrop of a seaside strip in Monterey, California during the Great Depression, \u003cem class=\"eujQNb\" data-sfc-root=\"c\" data-sfc-cb=\"\" data-complete=\"true\" data-processed=\"true\" data-copy-service-computed-style='font-family: \"Google Sans\", \"Helvetica Neue\", sans-serif; font-size: 16px; font-weight: 400; margin: 0px; text-decoration: none; border-bottom: 0px rgb(10, 10, 10);'\u003e\u003cspan class=\"wfWfIf fxyaSe\"\u003e\u003cspan class=\"jAOkJc\" role=\"button\" id=\"\" data-sfc-cp=\"\" data-sfc-root=\"c\" data-sfc-cb=\"\" data-ved=\"2ahUKEwjOtsHRpMaUAxXKJ0QIHY7DAIYQ3egRegYIAAgWEAE\" data-complete=\"true\" data-processed=\"true\" data-copy-service-computed-style='font-family: \"Google Sans\", \"Helvetica Neue\", sans-serif; font-size: 16px; font-weight: 400; margin: 0px; text-decoration: none; border-bottom: 0px rgb(10, 10, 10);' tabindex=\"0\"\u003e\u003cspan class=\"T286Pc\" data-sfc-cp=\"\" data-sfc-root=\"c\" data-sfc-cb=\"\" data-complete=\"true\" data-processed=\"true\" data-copy-service-computed-style='font-family: \"Google Sans\", \"Helvetica Neue\", sans-serif; font-size: 16px; font-weight: 400; margin: 0px; text-decoration: none; border-bottom: 0px rgb(10, 10, 10);'\u003eCannery Row\u003c\/span\u003e\u003c\/span\u003e\u003c\/span\u003e\u003c\/em\u003e is a nostalgic, picaresque masterpiece populated by a colorful, tight-knit community of social outcasts. The episodic narrative revolves around the eccentric denizens of the Row: Mack and his resourceful band of benign vagrants living in a converted fish-flophouse; Lee Chong, the shrewd yet deeply compassionate Chinese grocer; Dora Flood, the generous, community-minded madam of the local brothel; and Doc, a brilliant, isolated marine biologist who serves as the intellectual and emotional anchor of the neighborhood. Rather than relying on a rigid, traditional plot, the novel unfolds through a series of interlocking vignettes centered around Mack and the boys' chaotic, well-meaning attempts to throw an elaborate surprise party for Doc. Through this uproariously funny yet deeply melancholic framework, Steinbeck crafts a profound philosophical tribute to community solidarity, loneliness, and the genuine beauty found in lives uncorrupted by mainstream societal greed. \u003c\/div\u003e\n\u003cdiv class=\"n6owBd awi2gc\" data-sfc-cp=\"\" data-sfc-root=\"c\" data-sfc-cb=\"\" data-hveid=\"CAAIFhAA\" data-complete=\"true\" data-processed=\"true\" data-copy-service-computed-style='font-family: \"Google Sans\", \"Helvetica Neue\", sans-serif; font-size: 16px; font-weight: 400; margin: 12px 0px 16px; text-decoration: none; border-bottom: 0px rgb(10, 10, 10);'\u003e\u003cspan style=\"font-size: 0.875rem;\"\u003e\u003c\/span\u003e\u003c\/div\u003e\n\u003cdiv class=\"n6owBd awi2gc\" data-sfc-cp=\"\" data-sfc-root=\"c\" data-sfc-cb=\"\" data-hveid=\"CAAIFhAA\" data-complete=\"true\" data-processed=\"true\" data-copy-service-computed-style='font-family: \"Google Sans\", \"Helvetica Neue\", sans-serif; font-size: 16px; font-weight: 400; margin: 12px 0px 16px; text-decoration: none; border-bottom: 0px rgb(10, 10, 10);'\u003e\n\u003cspan style=\"font-size: 0.875rem;\"\u003eWritten during a period of intense personal upheaval and creative exhaustion while \u003c\/span\u003e\u003cspan class=\"wfWfIf fxyaSe\" style=\"font-size: 0.875rem;\"\u003e\u003cspan class=\"jAOkJc\" role=\"button\" id=\"\" data-sfc-cp=\"\" data-sfc-root=\"c\" data-sfc-cb=\"\" data-ved=\"2ahUKEwjOtsHRpMaUAxXKJ0QIHY7DAIYQ3egRegYIAAgbEAE\" data-complete=\"true\" data-processed=\"true\" data-copy-service-computed-style='font-family: \"Google Sans\", \"Helvetica Neue\", sans-serif; font-size: 16px; font-weight: 400; margin: 0px; text-decoration: none; border-bottom: 0px rgb(10, 10, 10);' tabindex=\"0\"\u003e\u003cspan class=\"T286Pc\" data-sfc-cp=\"\" data-sfc-root=\"c\" data-sfc-cb=\"\" data-complete=\"true\" data-processed=\"true\" data-copy-service-computed-style='font-family: \"Google Sans\", \"Helvetica Neue\", sans-serif; font-size: 16px; font-weight: 400; margin: 0px; text-decoration: none; border-bottom: 0px rgb(10, 10, 10);'\u003eJohn Steinbeck\u003c\/span\u003e\u003c\/span\u003e\u003c\/span\u003e\u003cspan style=\"font-size: 0.875rem;\"\u003e was serving as a World War II war correspondent, \u003c\/span\u003e\u003cem class=\"eujQNb\" data-sfc-root=\"c\" data-sfc-cb=\"\" data-complete=\"true\" data-processed=\"true\" data-copy-service-computed-style='font-family: \"Google Sans\", \"Helvetica Neue\", sans-serif; font-size: 16px; font-weight: 400; margin: 0px; text-decoration: none; border-bottom: 0px rgb(10, 10, 10);' style=\"font-size: 0.875rem;\"\u003e\u003cspan class=\"wfWfIf fxyaSe\"\u003e\u003cspan class=\"jAOkJc\" role=\"button\" id=\"\" data-sfc-cp=\"\" data-sfc-root=\"c\" data-sfc-cb=\"\" data-ved=\"2ahUKEwjOtsHRpMaUAxXKJ0QIHY7DAIYQ3egRegYIAAgbEAI\" data-complete=\"true\" data-processed=\"true\" data-copy-service-computed-style='font-family: \"Google Sans\", \"Helvetica Neue\", sans-serif; font-size: 16px; font-weight: 400; margin: 0px; text-decoration: none; border-bottom: 0px rgb(10, 10, 10);' tabindex=\"0\"\u003e\u003cspan class=\"T286Pc\" data-sfc-cp=\"\" data-sfc-root=\"c\" data-sfc-cb=\"\" data-complete=\"true\" data-processed=\"true\" data-copy-service-computed-style='font-family: \"Google Sans\", \"Helvetica Neue\", sans-serif; font-size: 16px; font-weight: 400; margin: 0px; text-decoration: none; border-bottom: 0px rgb(10, 10, 10);'\u003eCannery Row\u003c\/span\u003e\u003c\/span\u003e\u003c\/span\u003e\u003c\/em\u003e\u003cspan style=\"font-size: 0.875rem;\"\u003e was deliberately crafted as a nostalgic escape back to his beloved California roots. Released by \u003c\/span\u003e\u003cspan class=\"Yjhzub\" style=\"font-size: 0.875rem;\"\u003e\u003cspan class=\"T286Pc\" data-sfc-cp=\"\" data-sfc-root=\"c\" data-sfc-cb=\"\" data-complete=\"true\" data-processed=\"true\" data-copy-service-computed-style='font-family: \"Google Sans\", \"Helvetica Neue\", sans-serif; font-size: 16px; font-weight: 600; margin: 0px; text-decoration: none; border-bottom: 0px rgb(10, 10, 10);'\u003eThe Viking Press\u003c\/span\u003e\u003c\/span\u003e\u003cspan style=\"font-size: 0.875rem;\"\u003e in January 1945, the book is a deeply loving, thinly veiled fictionalization of Steinbeck's real-life experiences in Monterey. Most notably, the beloved character of Doc was directly modeled after \u003c\/span\u003e\u003cspan class=\"Yjhzub\" style=\"font-size: 0.875rem;\"\u003eEd Ricketts\u003c\/span\u003e\u003cspan style=\"font-size: 0.875rem;\"\u003e, an pioneering marine biologist, ecological philosopher, and Steinbeck's closest intellectual mentor. Ricketts' real-life Pacific Biological Laboratories served as the primary setting for the book. Steinbeck’s prose seamlessly balances lighthearted, comedic farce with striking poetic interludes, capturing the sights, sounds, and heavy smells of the sardine canneries with absolute precision.\u003c\/span\u003e\u003cbr\u003e\n\u003c\/div\u003e\n\u003cdiv class=\"n6owBd awi2gc\" data-sfc-cp=\"\" data-sfc-root=\"c\" data-sfc-cb=\"\" data-hveid=\"CAAIGxAA\" data-complete=\"true\" data-processed=\"true\" data-copy-service-computed-style='font-family: \"Google Sans\", \"Helvetica Neue\", sans-serif; font-size: 16px; font-weight: 400; margin: 12px 0px 16px; text-decoration: none; border-bottom: 0px rgb(10, 10, 10);'\u003e\u003cspan style=\"font-size: 0.875rem;\"\u003e\u003c\/span\u003e\u003c\/div\u003e\n\u003cdiv class=\"n6owBd awi2gc\" data-sfc-cp=\"\" data-sfc-root=\"c\" data-sfc-cb=\"\" data-hveid=\"CAAIGxAA\" data-complete=\"true\" data-processed=\"true\" data-copy-service-computed-style='font-family: \"Google Sans\", \"Helvetica Neue\", sans-serif; font-size: 16px; font-weight: 400; margin: 12px 0px 16px; text-decoration: none; border-bottom: 0px rgb(10, 10, 10);'\u003e\n\u003cspan style=\"font-size: 0.875rem;\"\u003eThis 1945 volume stands as a crucial historical artifact of mid-century American publishing under the constraints of World War II. To comply with strict government wartime conservation measures, the book was printed on highly compressed, thin paper stocks, leading to its characteristic slim profile. Furthermore, these material shortages created a famous bibliographical point for collectors: the binders completely ran out of the original \u003c\/span\u003e\u003cspan class=\"Yjhzub\" style=\"font-size: 0.875rem;\"\u003elight-buff (tan) cloth\u003c\/span\u003e\u003cspan style=\"font-size: 0.875rem;\"\u003e midway through the initial first-printing run, forcing the publisher to finish the remainder of the first edition using a bright, \u003c\/span\u003e\u003cspan class=\"Yjhzub\" style=\"font-size: 0.875rem;\"\u003ecanary-yellow cloth\u003c\/span\u003e\u003cspan style=\"font-size: 0.875rem;\"\u003e. Upon its release, the book's stark celebration of bums and madams deeply polarized conservative mid-century critics, yet it quickly became a massive commercial triumph. Today, \u003c\/span\u003e\u003cem class=\"eujQNb\" data-sfc-root=\"c\" data-sfc-cb=\"\" data-processed=\"true\" data-complete=\"true\" data-copy-service-computed-style='font-family: \"Google Sans\", \"Helvetica Neue\", sans-serif; font-size: 16px; font-weight: 400; margin: 0px; text-decoration: none; border-bottom: 0px rgb(10, 10, 10);' style=\"font-size: 0.875rem;\"\u003e\u003cspan class=\"wfWfIf fxyaSe\"\u003e\u003cspan class=\"jAOkJc\" role=\"button\" id=\"\" data-sfc-cp=\"\" data-sfc-root=\"c\" data-sfc-cb=\"\" data-ved=\"2ahUKEwjOtsHRpMaUAxXKJ0QIHY7DAIYQ3egRegYIAAgfEAE\" data-complete=\"true\" data-processed=\"true\" data-copy-service-computed-style='font-family: \"Google Sans\", \"Helvetica Neue\", sans-serif; font-size: 16px; font-weight: 400; margin: 0px; text-decoration: none; border-bottom: 0px rgb(10, 10, 10);' tabindex=\"0\"\u003e\u003cspan class=\"T286Pc\" data-sfc-cp=\"\" data-sfc-root=\"c\" data-sfc-cb=\"\" data-complete=\"true\" data-processed=\"true\" data-copy-service-computed-style='font-family: \"Google Sans\", \"Helvetica Neue\", sans-serif; font-size: 16px; font-weight: 400; margin: 0px; text-decoration: none; border-bottom: 0px rgb(10, 10, 10);'\u003eCannery Row\u003c\/span\u003e\u003c\/span\u003e\u003c\/span\u003e\u003c\/em\u003e\u003cspan style=\"font-size: 0.875rem;\"\u003e is universally canonized as one of Steinbeck's finest achievements, celebrated for creating the template for the modern ensemble narrative and cementing the actual geographic strip in Monterey as an immortal landmark of American literary history.\u003c\/span\u003e\u003cbr\u003e\n\u003c\/div\u003e\n\u003cdiv class=\"n6owBd awi2gc\" data-sfc-cp=\"\" data-sfc-root=\"c\" data-sfc-cb=\"\" data-hveid=\"CAAIGxAA\" data-complete=\"true\" data-processed=\"true\" data-copy-service-computed-style='font-family: \"Google Sans\", \"Helvetica Neue\", sans-serif; font-size: 16px; font-weight: 400; margin: 12px 0px 16px; text-decoration: none; border-bottom: 0px rgb(10, 10, 10);'\u003e\u003cspan style=\"font-size: 0.875rem;\"\u003e\u003c\/span\u003e\u003c\/div\u003e\n\u003cdiv class=\"n6owBd awi2gc\" data-sfc-cp=\"\" data-sfc-root=\"c\" data-sfc-cb=\"\" data-hveid=\"CAAIGxAA\" data-complete=\"true\" data-processed=\"true\" data-copy-service-computed-style='font-family: \"Google Sans\", \"Helvetica Neue\", sans-serif; font-size: 16px; font-weight: 400; margin: 12px 0px 16px; text-decoration: none; border-bottom: 0px rgb(10, 10, 10);'\u003e\u003cstrong\u003e\u003cspan style=\"font-size: 0.875rem;\"\u003eDescription \u003c\/span\u003e\u003c\/strong\u003e\u003c\/div\u003e\n\u003cdiv class=\"n6owBd awi2gc\" data-sfc-cp=\"\" data-sfc-root=\"c\" data-sfc-cb=\"\" data-hveid=\"CAAIGxAA\" data-complete=\"true\" data-processed=\"true\" data-copy-service-computed-style='font-family: \"Google Sans\", \"Helvetica Neue\", sans-serif; font-size: 16px; font-weight: 400; margin: 12px 0px 16px; text-decoration: none; border-bottom: 0px rgb(10, 10, 10);'\u003e\u003c\/div\u003e\n\u003cdiv class=\"n6owBd awi2gc\" data-sfc-cp=\"\" data-sfc-root=\"c\" data-sfc-cb=\"\" data-hveid=\"CAAIGxAA\" data-complete=\"true\" data-processed=\"true\" data-copy-service-computed-style='font-family: \"Google Sans\", \"Helvetica Neue\", sans-serif; font-size: 16px; font-weight: 400; margin: 12px 0px 16px; text-decoration: none; border-bottom: 0px rgb(10, 10, 10);'\u003e\u003cspan style=\"font-size: 0.875rem;\"\u003eYellow canvas binding with blue lettering on cover and spine. Some minimal scuffing to board. Original dust wrapper. \u003c\/span\u003e\u003c\/div\u003e","brand":"Moons Rare Books","offers":[{"title":"Default Title","offer_id":56493161316518,"sku":null,"price":1500.0,"currency_code":"USD","in_stock":true}],"thumbnail_url":"\/\/cdn.shopify.com\/s\/files\/1\/0173\/6563\/1040\/files\/EBFDBD34-4399-4EA7-8E11-EE2527A406ED.jpg?v=1779236748","url":"https:\/\/moons-rare-books.myshopify.com\/products\/cannery-row-1","provider":"Moons Rare Books","version":"1.0","type":"link"}