Derived from papers presented by the North American delegates at the Third International Steinbeck Congress held in May 1990 in Honolulu, Hawaii - under the cosponsorship of the Steinbeck Society of Japan and the International Steinbeck Society - these ten essays, arranged in two parts, seek to provide a clearer understanding of Steinbeck's critical years of greatness.

Taken as a whole, these ten captivating, entertaining, readable, and rewarding essays, all by noted Steinbeck scholars, provide fresh perspectives and new information about Steinbeck's life and work during his most productive period.