In the Wake of Giants and The Sea of Cortez

by Cyndie Zikmund
When John Steinbeck launched a boat expedition in March of 1940 with the purpose of
cataloging creatures living in the Sea of Cortez, he didn’t think his resulting book would have a large audience. He was right. There is limited appeal to science nonfiction; however, the trip provided inspiration for characters like Doc in Cannery Row, and it gave others a curiosity to see first-hand what he had witnessed below the surface of the sea. It also exposed dredging practices that have since been stopped, mitigating the losses of the large shrimp that flourished in the area. Seventy...