First published in 1899, this graphic depiction of urban American life centers around its title character, McTeague, a dentist practicing in San Francisco at the turn of the century. While at first content with his life and friendship with an ambitious man named Marcus, McTeague eventually courts and marries Trina, a frugal young woman who wins a large sum of money in a lottery. The greed of the majority of the characters in the novel creates a chain...

This edition includes a modern introduction and a list of suggested further reading. The story of Frank Norris's The Pit could be taken from today's headlines: a businessman begins speculating in the commodities market on a small scale until, overcome by greed, addicted to the art of the deal, and harboring an ever-increasing appetite for power, he gambles recklessly in the market while the fortunes of farmers and small investors hang in the balance....

The bestselling novel of financial speculation in the Progressive Era from the author of McTeague. Curtis Jadwin had to compete with other suitors to secure his wife's hand in marriage, but after a year of marital bliss, he finds himself captivated by another: the high-stakes competition at the Chicago Board of Trade. At first merely dabbling in wheat speculation, Jadwin soon becomes obsessed with making deals and the roaring excitement of the trading...

Published posthumously, this 1903 collection of Norris's literary criticism was assembled by his wife Jeanette. In the title essay, Norris argues that serious writers have an obligation to present their readers with the truths of daily life, and not with idle fantasies of romance or escape. He also discusses important issues of western literature and the closing of the American frontier.

Set in San Francisco, Vandover is the story of a rich young man who desires to become a great artist but lacks the ambition to do so. Suicide, death, gambling, and a lost fortune swirl around the young man, reducing him to menial work in the very slums he once owned. Vandover is an early example of American literary naturalism.

Published after the author's untimely death, this 1904 collection includes stories that originally appeared in publications between 1901 and 1903. The title story was made into the film A Corner in Wheat. Also included are "A Bargain with Peg-Leg," "Two Hearts that Beat as One," and "The Dual Personality of Slick Dick Nickerson."

From the author of McTeague : The classic novel of corporate corruption and violent rebellion in the railroad industry. On May 11, 1880, at a San Joaquin Valley ranch, a shootout between tenant farmers and a sheriff's posse left seven dead. The dispute was over land rights. The law was acting in the service of the Southern Pacific Railroad. This tragedy marked the beginning of the end for the American frontier, and it became the inspiration for Frank...