Skip to content

The Octopus: A Story of California (The Epic of the Wheat)
Stock Photo: Cover May Be Different

The Octopus: A Story of California (The Epic of the Wheat) Paperback - 1994

by Norris, Frank

  • Used

Description

CollectibleAcceptable. BANTAM 1958, (FC8), Vintage copy with great cover art. Reading copy only, has significant to heavy reading/age wear and tear, may have some staining or water damage, pages may be tanned or fragile, may have loose hinges, may have light to heavy markings, not collector/gift quality. We take great pride in accurately describing the condition of our books and media, ship within 48 hours, and offer a 100% money back guarantee. Customers purchasing more than one item from us may be entitled to a shipping discount.
Used - CollectibleAcceptable
NZ$10.02
NZ$6.66 Shipping to USA
Standard delivery: 2 to 14 days
More Shipping Options
Ships from Best and Fastest Books (New Jersey, United States)

Details

  • Title The Octopus: A Story of California (The Epic of the Wheat)
  • Author Norris, Frank
  • Binding Paperback
  • Edition Reissue
  • Condition Used - CollectibleAcceptable
  • Pages 688
  • Volumes 1
  • Language ENG
  • Publisher Penguin Adult Hc/Tr, E Rutherford, New Jersey, U.S.A.
  • Date 1994-08-01
  • Bookseller's Inventory # 1M5000006M6M_ns
  • ISBN 9780140187700 / 0140187707
  • Weight 1.46 lbs (0.66 kg)
  • Dimensions 7.75 x 5.06 x 1.38 in (19.69 x 12.85 x 3.51 cm)
  • Ages 18 to UP years
  • Grade levels 13 - UP
  • Library of Congress subjects Western stories, Allegories
  • Library of Congress Catalog Number 85031463
  • Dewey Decimal Code FIC

About Best and Fastest Books New Jersey, United States

Biblio member since 2021
Seller rating: This seller has earned a 5 of 5 Stars rating from Biblio customers.

Best and Fastest Books is located on the banks of The Delaware River in Wantage, New Jersey and specializes in rare out of print books and ephemera.

Terms of Sale: 30 day return guarantee, with full refund including original shipping costs for up to 30 days after delivery if an item arrives misdescribed or damaged.

Browse books from Best and Fastest Books

Summary

Like the tentacles of an octopus, the tracks of the railroad reached out across California, as if to grasp everything of value in the state Based on an actual, bloody dispute between wheat farmers and the Southern Pacific Railroad in 1880, The Octopus is a stunning novel of the waning days of the frontier West. To the tough-minded and self-reliant farmers, the monopolistic, land-grabbing railroad represented everything they despised: consolidation, organization, conformity. But Norris idealizes no one in this epic depiction of the volatile situation, for the farmers themselves ruthlessly exploited the land, and in their hunger for larger holdings they resorted to the same tactics used by the railroad: subversion, coercion and outright violence. In his introduction, Kevin Starr discusses Norris's debt to Zola for the novel's extraordinary sweep, scale and abundance of characters and details.

First line

HASH(0x110d9320)

Categories

About the author

Frank Norris (1870-1902) was an American journalist and novelist. Among his novels are McTeague, The Octopus: A Story of California, and The Pit. His fiction is classified under naturalism and has been compared to the works of mile Zola, Stephen Crane, and Edith Wharton.

Kevin Starr (1940 - 2017) was an American historian and California's State Librarian, best know for his multi-volume series on the history of California. His writing won a Guggenheim Fellowship, and gold and silver medals from the Commonwealth Club of California. His books include Americans and the California Dream, 1850-1915; California: A History; and Golden Gate: The Life and Times of America's Greatest Bridge.