East of Eden

First published in 1952, this novel follows two families in California's Salinas Valley across generations. The Hamiltons are a large Irish household of inventors and farmers. The Trasks carry a Cain-and-Abel pattern: brothers Charles and Adam, then Adam's sons Cal and Aron, and the destructive Cathy Ames, who marries Adam and leaves. The Chinese servant Lee and the Hebrew word timshel, thou mayest, become the book's argument about inherited sin and choice. The narrative moves from Connecticut to the ranch and the town of Salinas. It is a family chronicle, not a documentary of the valley.

Bound in green cloth blocked with a design in grey by the artist. Green slipcase cover printed with a grey pattern.