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2016 Reprint of 1952 Edition. "The Price of Salt" is Highsmith's only lesbian novel. She is best known for her Ripley detective novels. It is a fairly realistic look at lesbian life in the 1950s. Originally published under the pseudonym of Claire Morgan to protect Highsmith's identity, this novel tells the story of two women and a decision that each one had to make. "For Therese happiness meant risking her future, for Carol it meant sacrificing her past, and for neither could the happiness, if chosen, be assured, for it lay outside of convention, scorned by society, condemned by law."---From the cover flap. Unlike other lesbian novels of the time, this struck a positive note for the relationship, making it a political statement of sorts, and an enduring classic for this genre.