{"product_id":"2026200009483-secondhand-riceyman-steps","title":"Riceyman Steps","description":"\u003cp\u003e\u003cbr\u003e\u003cb\u003eCondition remarks:\u003c\/b\u003e \u003cbr\u003eCondition: Good. Jacket: Worn\/faded, no tears — the dust jacket shows age-related fading and light browning to the spine and edges, consistent with a mid-20th century reprint. No dust jacket damage beyond toning. No jacket chips visible. Page Condition: Yellowed — pages show moderate tanning consistent with age. Markings: No visible markings noted. Binding: Appears intact and firm. Stickers\/Labels: A small label or sticker is visible on the front cover of the dust jacket. \u003c\/p\u003e\u003cp\u003eRiceyman Steps is a quietly devastating work of classic British fiction, set in the grimy, post-WWI streets of Clerkenwell, London. The novel chronicles the miserly second-hand bookseller Henry Earlforward, whose obsessive frugality poisons his marriage to the warm-hearted widow Violet and slowly destroys the lives of those around him. Bennett masterfully illustrates the psychological grip of avarice, rendering it not as cartoon villainy but as a tragic, suffocating disease of the spirit. Written with precise, unsentimental prose, the narrative presents a deeply human portrait of self-destruction, loyalty, and the quiet suffering of the working poor in the grey aftermath of war. Winner of the James Tait Black Memorial Prize in 1923, it stands as one of Bennett's finest and most enduring achievements.\u003c\/p\u003e","brand":"Secondhand Stock","offers":[{"title":"Default Title","offer_id":48887998415067,"sku":"2026200009483-SECONDHAND","price":12.0,"currency_code":"AUD","in_stock":true}],"thumbnail_url":"\/\/cdn.shopify.com\/s\/files\/1\/0523\/7646\/9701\/files\/43dd1c32-3611-49da-b60c-a0f64bf3c7d1.png?v=1781752011","url":"https:\/\/bookgrocer.com\/products\/2026200009483-secondhand-riceyman-steps","provider":"Book Grocer","version":"1.0","type":"link"}