V. Good, Dust Jacket Is Tatty. Owner Inscribed.1st. Edn. 1961. The First British Edition Of Steinbeck"s Last Novel To Be Published During His Lifetime. 366pp. Ethan Hawleys Family Has Come Down In The World. His Fathers People Were Prosperous Ship Owners In New Baytown But Ethan Is A Clerk In A Grocery Store. His Most Valuable Possessions Are His Reputation And Honesty But All This Will Be Put To The Test. He Succumbs To Temptation As She Forgets A Fundamental Truths That Dishonesty Is Invisibly Infectious. A Tragical Comic Ending Brings This Point Home..