The Octopus (Barnes & Noble Digital Library): A Story of California

This edition includes a modern introduction and a list of suggested further reading. Like a predatory octopus, the railroad tracks of California squeezed the wheat fields and the farmers with its steel tentacles. A story of deep personal tragedies, The Octopus concerns political corruption and American enterprise. It explores the natural forces that shaped individual human lives, and is an acknowledged masterpiece of American literary naturalism.