Grade 9 Up–This excellent resource is divided into three parts: Biography, Works A-Z, and Related People, Places, and Topics. The first and shortest section provides a summary of Steinbecks birth, early childhood, education, and career. The bulk of the book offers descriptions of all of his works–published and unpublished. Many of these entries include background information, critical summaries, discussions of the works early reception and contemporary perspectives, chapter-by-chapter synopses, information on film adaptations, and further-reading suggestions.