The Log From The Sea of Cortez

In a short Introduction, Steinbeck writes about the way in which “the design of a book is the pattern of a reality controlled ad shaped by the mind of the writer” (1). He holds this to be true for his usual fiction writing, but also for nonfiction works. The same impulse which compels men to write poetry, he says, compels others to investigate, study, and write about rockpools.

He and his friend, Ed Ricketts, decided to undertake a six-week voyage to study the Gulf of California, also known as the Sea of Cortez, to observe the distribution of invertebrates. They were motivated by curiosity and inspired by forebears such as Darwin, Linnaeus, and Pliny. In a changing world, Steinbeck notes, the voyage will both document the changing ecosystem and, at the same time, also change the ecosystem by its very nature.

Chapter 1 explains the practical design of the 1940 expedition. The authors argue that an expedition should be bounded by forecasts of “start, direction, ports of call, and return” (5). While tides, weather, food, medicine, and vessel choice can be estimated, all remains “subject to accident” (5). Available literature on the Gulf is thin and inconsistent; the Coast Pilot and the writing of a Jesuit priest named Clavigero provide the clearest cautions.