{"product_id":"the-octopus-a-story-of-california-9780140187700","title":"The Octopus: A Story of California","description":"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, \u003ci\u003eThe Octopus\u003c\/i\u003e 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.\u003cbr\u003e\u003cbr\u003e\u003cb\u003eAuthor:\u003c\/b\u003e \u003ca href=\"https:\/\/sureshotbooks-com.myshopify.com\/search?type=product%2Carticle%2Cpage\u0026amp;q=AUTH-16160604\"\u003eFrank Norris\u003c\/a\u003e\u003cbr\u003e\u003cb\u003ePublisher:\u003c\/b\u003e Penguin Classics\u003cbr\u003e\u003cb\u003ePublished:\u003c\/b\u003e 08\/01\/1994\u003cbr\u003e\u003cb\u003ePages:\u003c\/b\u003e 688\u003cbr\u003e\u003cb\u003eBinding Type:\u003c\/b\u003e Paperback\u003cbr\u003e\u003cb\u003eWeight:\u003c\/b\u003e 1.04lbs\u003cbr\u003e\u003cb\u003eSize:\u003c\/b\u003e 7.75h x 5.09w x 1.33d\u003cbr\u003e\u003cb\u003eISBN13:\u003c\/b\u003e 9780140187700\u003cbr\u003e\u003cb\u003eISBN10:\u003c\/b\u003e 0140187707\u003cbr\u003e\u003cb\u003eBISAC Categories:\u003c\/b\u003e\u003cbr\u003e- \u003ca href=\"https:\/\/sureshotbooks-com.myshopify.com\/search?type=product%2Carticle%2Cpage\u0026amp;q=CAT-FIC\"\u003eFiction\u003c\/a\u003e | \u003ca href=\"https:\/\/sureshotbooks-com.myshopify.com\/search?type=product%2Carticle%2Cpage\u0026amp;q=BISAC-FIC004000\"\u003eClassics\u003c\/a\u003e\u003cbr\u003e- \u003ca href=\"https:\/\/sureshotbooks-com.myshopify.com\/search?type=product%2Carticle%2Cpage\u0026amp;q=CAT-FIC\"\u003eFiction\u003c\/a\u003e | \u003ca href=\"https:\/\/sureshotbooks-com.myshopify.com\/search?type=product%2Carticle%2Cpage\u0026amp;q=BISAC-FIC014000\"\u003eHistorical | General\u003c\/a\u003e\u003cbr\u003e- \u003ca href=\"https:\/\/sureshotbooks-com.myshopify.com\/search?type=product%2Carticle%2Cpage\u0026amp;q=CAT-FIC\"\u003eFiction\u003c\/a\u003e | \u003ca href=\"https:\/\/sureshotbooks-com.myshopify.com\/search?type=product%2Carticle%2Cpage\u0026amp;q=BISAC-FIC019000\"\u003eLiterary\u003c\/a\u003e\u003cbr\u003e\u003cbr\u003e\u003cp\u003e\u003cb\u003eAbout the Author\u003c\/b\u003e\u003cbr\u003e\u003cb\u003eFrank Norris \u003c\/b\u003e(1870-1902) was an American journalist and novelist. Among his novels are \u003ci\u003eMcTeague\u003c\/i\u003e, \u003ci\u003eThe Octopus: A Story of California\u003c\/i\u003e, and \u003ci\u003eThe Pit\u003c\/i\u003e. His fiction is classified under naturalism and has been compared to the works of Émile Zola, Stephen Crane, and Edith Wharton. \u003c\/p\u003e\u003cp\u003e\u003c\/p\u003e\u003cb\u003eKevin Starr \u003c\/b\u003e(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 \u003ci\u003eAmericans and the California Dream, 1850-1915\u003c\/i\u003e; \u003ci\u003eCalifornia: A History\u003c\/i\u003e;\u003ci\u003e \u003c\/i\u003eand \u003ci\u003eGolden Gate: The Life and Times of America's Greatest Bridge.\u003c\/i\u003e","brand":"Penguin Classics","offers":[{"title":"Default Title","offer_id":48456953331949,"sku":"9780140187700","price":27.73,"currency_code":"USD","in_stock":true}],"thumbnail_url":"\/\/cdn.shopify.com\/s\/files\/1\/0550\/8097\/6621\/files\/img_2cd3311b-11a0-46a3-95fa-63b60ccb7505.jpg?v=1753574168","url":"https:\/\/sureshotbooks.com\/products\/the-octopus-a-story-of-california-9780140187700","provider":"SureShot Books Publishing LLC","version":"1.0","type":"link"}