John Ernest Steinbeck Jr. was born on February 27, 1902 in Salinas, California. (The Biography Channel) His family was never wealthy, but they were middle class, and his father John Ernest Steinbeck had several jobs to keep food on the table, and his mother Olive Hamilton was a school teacher. He was the third child of four children and all of his siblings were girls. His father owned a feed and grain store, operated a flour store, and was treasurer of Monterrey County. (The Biography Channel) His father was a bricklayer and his mother was a member of the Eastern Star. (ANB) John Steinbeck sr. and Olive Hamilton were immigrants and were very rooted in the community; they established their identity in this way. His parents believed that it was good to expose their children to culture when they were young. They often went to the theater in San Francisco. His parents also had a variety of publications in the house for the children to read. Steinbeck's greatest influence on his career was when he was given a copy of Malory's Morte d'Arthur at the age of nine. (Stephan) His mother and John Steinbeck's family lived in the "fertile agricultural valley," and because of this he quickly began to appreciate the land of the Salinas Valley, which he used in most of his later novels. (Wyatt) As a child, Steinbeck was shy and quiet, but very intelligent. At the age of fifteen Steinbeck was "encouraged by his first-year English teacher to write" (ANB) and from then on he knew that he wanted to become a writer. He often locked himself in his bedroom and wrote. After high school he worked as a sugar factory worker in Salinas, California, as a factory worker, and as a ranch hand. (Stephan) In 1919, John Steinbeck decided to go to Stanford University, just for the sake of. his pare...... middle of paper ......eck - List of works." About.com Classic Literature. Penguin 1986. Web. December 9, 2013. "John Steinbeck." The Biography Channel website . A&E Television Network. 9 Dec 2013. "John Steinbeck - Facts." Nobel Media AB 2013. Web. 9 December 2013. Reuben, Paul P. "John Steinbeck (1902-1968): A Brief Biography literature." PAL: Perspectives in American Literature: A Research and Reference Guide. NP, Nov. 11, 2011. Web. Dec. 9, 2013. Shillinglaw, Dr. Susan. "John Steinbeck." American National Biography Online. Oxford University Press , ndWeb. 9 December 2013. Shillinglaw, Dr. Susan. "Why Read John Steinbeck." Introduction by David Wyatt. New York: Penguin Classics, 1992. Print. Stephan, Ed. "Steinbeck." 2013.