Steinbeck: Armed With the Truth (And a Colt automatic)

Award winning screen writer and art historian Steve Hauk presents documentation for the fact that Steinbeck used hand guns for self protection.

He also presents art from Steinbeck's era and Steinbeck Country, Monterey and Salinas California.

Category:

Education

Tags:

• John
• Steinbeck
• guns
• Steve
• Hauk
• Salinas
• Monterey
• 1930s

[pathfinder616]

thank you for the correct artist on this beautiful artwork and book cover.

[Haukfa]

James, the cover of ``Grapes of Wrath'' is by Elmer Hader, an artist from Pajaro, California. Pajaro is in Monterey County, which was also Steinbeck's county, or as he mentions often in ``Journal of a Novel,'' ``my county.'' The original watercolor for the cover sold at auction in San Francisco several years ago for, if I remember correctly, slightly over $60,000. Thanks for your interesting comments.

[pathfinder616]

the book cover for Grapes of Wrath shown in your documentary looks like the artwork of Henry Varnum Poor. can you confirm this? as you can see there is a distinctive difference in the technique of Poor's seascape you have discussed and this book cover suggesting that Poor's association and studies with Walter Sickert in London was most productive in his development as an artist and muralist.

[pathfinder616]

i for one would really like to see a retrospective of Henry Varnum Poor's work produced while he was a student at Stanford and the work he produced while living in California before and after his trip to study art in London and Paris in 1910.

[pathfinder616]

Peter Poor may be able to shed more light on Steinbeck's target shooting ability.

[pathfinder616]

in fact, the area surrounding the Poor estate (known as "Crow House") is still hunted for deer today. Henry's son Peter Poor once mentioned that he recalls shooting at a large tree from the Crow House rear patio and laughingly said that this tree has 'tons of lead'. i'm sure that .45 slugs from Steinbeck twin revolvers are among them.

[pathfinder616]

his friendship and association with actor Bergess Meredith and artist Henry Varnum Poor is important. more than just character witnesses both these men lived in rural areas north of Sneden's Landing where hunting and target shooting were popular pastimes.

[pathfinder616]

thank you for documenting this exhibition. your research has presented an interesting side effect to Steinbeck's literary life. i must point out that the video contains an inaccuracy. the application was completed in May 1942, not the fall of 1942 as stated in the audio. Steinbeck rented a house in Sneden's Landing, NY while writing his first play with rehearsals scheduled for September in NYC.

[redsabots]

Bravo, Steve, Paul and Marie. This show would have disappeared after it closes, but now we have documentation!

[baldontoni]

Steve is the foremost expert on Plein Air & Early California artists. We done exhibit!!