Concerning Sanora Babb’s Whose Names Are Unknown, here’s a fascinating bit of trivia: Random House editor Bennett Cerf had given the go-ahead to publish Babb’s work just before The Grapes of Wrath hit the streets. When Steinbeck’s novel took off, Random House reversed their decision. There was a feeling that the market couldn’t handle two similarly-themed books. (How different the publishing field is today, where editors are looking to duplicate the success of certain books and themes!)

So, if the timing had been a little different, we might have been reading Babb’s book in high school instead of Steinbeck’s.

Oh, the Slings and Arrows!