Cannery Row Resources

Websites

Steinbeck Galore

If you've already seen Shmoop's guide to Steinbeck, but you still can't get enough, check out The Center for Steinbeck Studies.

Working on the Railroad

If want to hear some secret history, check out this story on the Chinese laborers who built the Western railroads.

In Cod We Trust

Don't know a limpet from an anemone? The Oceana Marine Wildlife Encyclopedia is here to help.

Hang with Mack and the Boys

Cannery Row is a real place in Monterey, California. You can even sign up for a tour of Doc's lab. (Maybe you can sit in one of his bedroom chairs. Sounds like everyone else did.)

Movie or TV Productions

Spoiler Alert

Doc finds love! In the movie, Cannery Row is combined with Steinbeck's sequel, Sweet Thursday. Nick Nolte (as Doc) and Debra Winger (as a prostitute named Suzy) star.

Articles and Interviews

Steinbeck on Steinbeck

The author talks a bit about Cannery Row and his other short novels in this preface.

Video

It's Not All Made Up

Michael Hemp tells us about the history of the real Cannery Row.

Doc Is Trying Out For a Part in Saturday Night Fever

Here's a scene from the movie. At the end you get a glimpse of Mack and the boys and Dora and the girls.

Canary Row

Steinbeck's classic as interpreted by Sylvester and Tweetie Bird.

Do You See the Can?

There's video of the flagpole skater. Have we mentioned how much we love the Internet?

Audio

What Was Cannery Row Like? It Stank.

The nice folks at NPR have interviews with former Cannery Row residents and a report on the life of Ed Ricketts.

What Doc's Parties Sounded Like

Here's Ravel's Pavane to a Dead Princess. It's not dubstep, but it'll do.

Images

LOL, Pigasus

Steinbeck's personal logo of a winged pig.

Mack's Ride

A Model T Ford. It comes in any color, as long as it's black.

That Was Then

Cannery Row in 1945.

This Is Now

So evidently tourism took over where sardine fishing left off.