When Steinbeck is great, he is truly great. But when he is not great, he is a waste of time. To someone approaching Steinbeck for the first time, I would say: Read THE GRAPES OF WRATH and then you can stop. It's an important American novel, it's so good you never want it to end, and it makes you feel as if you've lived a dramatic chunk of American life. If you choose to read more, go straight to OF MICE AND MEN, then perhaps EAST OF EDEN or CANNERY ROW. After that, proceed at your own risk. Steinbeck has been praised for compassionate writing about the downtrodden, but -- with the wonderful exception of GRAPES OF WRATH -- I find his "compassion" rather condescending and sentimental.

There is another Steinbeck, in style and mood like a different writer altogether: in TRAVELS WITH CHARLEY, PIPPIN, and the KING ARTHUR book. A less important author, this other Steinbeck, but blessedly light of heart. A former child I know said that his KING ARTHUR book is "the best book ever written about the knights of the round table."

Of Mice and Men, The Grapes of Wrath and Cannery Row are all SUPERB books. I am a big fan of Steinbeck - he's a literary genius and I will be reading my way through more of his work asap.

I'd say start with Of Mice and Men or Cannery Row as they are slim books. Cannery Row is quite humorous which is unusual for Steinbeck. The Grapes of Wrath is my all time favorite, it's a big book but worth every page.