East of Eden: The Salinas Valley

Before any character appears, Steinbeck describes the Salinas Valley in Central California, and the story stays here from the start of the twentieth century to the end of World War I. The valley lies between the Gabilan and Santa Lucia mountain ranges and runs about 90 miles (145 km) along the river. It is also where Cal goes into the bean business, selling beans to nations in Europe for a considerable profit, then offers his father the money and is told to give it back to the poor farmers he exploited. The pin marks the valley, not one field.

Location precision: The novel describes the whole valley rather than one spot; the pin marks the valley's lower stretch.

King City is mentioned repeatedly in East of Eden, which is set principally in the surrounding Salinas Valley, so the whole southern valley is the book's country. The town also has a family link to the author: Steinbeck's father, J. Ernst Steinbeck, claimed to have been the first permanent resident of King City, and was certainly among the first settlers.

Location precision: The novel mentions the town but no particular building; the pin marks the town centre.

Visitor guidance: King City is on the valley floor in Monterey County.

Cathy, now calling herself Kate Albey, becomes a prostitute at a respectable brothel in the city of Salinas, murders the madam and inherits the business. Her sons grow up unaware, until Cal discovers that his mother is alive and the madam of a brothel. Salinas was also Steinbeck's own hometown. Old town Salinas holds the National Steinbeck Center, opened on 27 June 1998, and the Steinbeck House, a Queen Anne Victorian built in 1897 that is now a restaurant.

Location precision: The novel places Kate's brothel in the city but gives no address; the pin marks the city centre.

Visitor guidance: The National Steinbeck Center is in Old Town Salinas; the Steinbeck House is nearby.

The 1955 film starring James Dean tells only the fourth and final part of the book. It opens in 1917, during World War I, in the central California towns of Monterey and Salinas, where twin brothers live with their father Adam. The film keeps the valley as the family's home.

Location precision: The film names the town only; the pin marks Monterey's centre.

Although the film is set in Monterey, much of it was actually shot on location in Mendocino, California. Mendocino was depicted as turn-of-the-20th-century Monterey.

Location precision: Mendocino only stands in for Monterey on screen; the pin marks the village where filming took place.

Visitor guidance: Mendocino is a village in Mendocino County, California.

Spreckels, a town in the Salinas area, was used as a location for the 1955 Steinbeck movie East of Eden. Some scenes were filmed in the Salinas Valley itself. Spreckels is also associated with Steinbeck, who lived and worked there for a time.

Location precision: The source names the town as a location without saying which streets; the pin marks the town.

Visitor guidance: Spreckels is in Monterey County, near Salinas.