actor where he says he did, he could have met such a figure at some point in his life. And perhaps he enhanced some of the anecdotes with the waitress. Does it really matter that much?" Jay Parini, author of a Steinbeck biography, who wrote the introduction for the Penguin edition of Travels, told the New York Times: Bill Barich, who wrote Long Way Home: On the Trail of Steinbeck's America, also a retracing of Steinbeck's footsteps, said: Writer Geert Mak, who made the same trip in 2010, discovered factual inconsistencies and physical impossibilities when trying to replicate Steinbeck's traveling schedule. He too came to the conclusion that Steinbeck had probably invented much of what happened, only to give rise to his musings about the country, which the Dutch writer nevertheless considered to be truthful and valuable. Published in 2012, the 50th anniversary edition of Travels with Charley included a disclaimer by Parini, who wrote: References Further reading Dewey, Joseph. "There Was a Seedy Grandeur about the Man': Rebirth and Recovery in Travels with Charley." Steinbeck Quarterly 24.01-02 (Winter/Spring 1991): 22-30. Hayashi, Tetsumaro. "Steinbeck's America in Travels with Charley." Steinbeck Quarterly 23.03-04 (Summer/Fall 1990): 88-96. Hughes, Robert S., Jr. "Steinbeck's Travels with Charley and America and Americans." Steinbeck Quarterly 20.03-04 (Summer/Fall 1987): 76-88. External links Travels With Charley: In Search of America at Wikibooks Steigerwald, Bill, The Next Page: The fabulism of 'Travels With Charley', Pittsburgh Post-Gazette, 5 December 2010. Retrieved 15 December 2010. A journalist fact-checks Steinbeck's account of his travels. 1962 non-fiction books Books by John Steinbeck American travel books Books about the United States Travel novels Viking Press books