Brain Snacks: Tasty Tidbits of Knowledge
East of Eden was the number-one best-seller in the country the year it was published, which was 1952.
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John Steinbeck appears as a character in his own novel. Call it egotistical, but it works.
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The title of the book refers to the Land of Nod, which, aside from having a weird name, is the place Cain was banished to.
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Like his character Aron, Steinbeck attended Stanford University for a while, though he didn't graduate.
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John Steinbeck is buried in the Hamilton family plot in Salinas. Yes, you can actually go see Samuel Hamilton's grave.
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