John Steinbeck Monte Sereno Home

From 1936 to 1938, John Steinbeck and his wife lived at this residence. While here, Steinbeck wrote Grapes of Wrath and Of Mice and Men. The John Steinbeck House was added to the National Register of Historic Places on December 28, 1989. Unlike Steinbeck's birthplace in Salinas, California, this house is now a private residence home and is closed to the public.

The house was built in 1936 for Steinbeck and his wife, Carol. While living in the house, Steinbeck wrote The Grapes of Wrath and completed Of Mice and Men. The couple was able to build the home after Steinbeck published two novels, Tortilla Flat and In Dubious Battle. The Steinbecks added a guest house to the property after the house's completion; renowned actors, literary agents, and friends of the Steinbecks stayed in the guest house while visiting the couple. In 1938, the Steinbecks left the house, as they felt that its location was no longer as secluded as it had been two years earlier.

Bennett, Mardin (May 29, 1989). "National Register of Historic Places Registration Form: John Steinbeck House" (PDF). National Park Service. http://www.waymarking.com/waymarks/WM8AJB_John_Steinbeck_House_Monte_Sereno_CA