1903. A Story of Chicago. New York: Doubleday, Page & Co., 1903. Original red cloth decorated in gilt.

First Edition, first printing (with the J.J. Little device and "First Edition" on the copyright page). This was the second volume in Norris's planned trilogy on human suffering and sacrifice, "The Epic of the Wheat." THE OCTOPUS (1901) had described the struggle between wheat farmers and the railroad interests in California, and THE PIT then follows the same wheat through the manipulation of the commodity markets in Chicago. The third volume, which would have been titled THE WOLF, was going to follow the wheat to its destination, relieving a famine in Europe. However, Norris died in 1902 (after an appendix operation, at age 32), so the third volume was never written. This copy is in the standard bright red cloth binding (there were also "presentation copies" in grey paper boards), and is in bright, near-fine condition (one small mark on the rear cover). Blanck 15038; a Johnson High Spot (though most would place THE OCTOPUS at least on a par with THE PIT).

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Bookseller: Sumner & Stillman (US)
Bookseller's Inventory #: 14446
Title: The Epic of the Wheat. THE PIT
Author: Norris, Frank
Book Condition: Used
Quantity Available: 1
Date Published: 1903
Keywords: Agriculture; Johnson Hispot
Bookseller catalogs: Fiction (Early 20th Century);

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About Sumner & Stillman

Founded in 1980, Sumner & Stillman is a small family business providing personal service in the buying and selling of literary first editions of the 19th and early 20th Centuries. Member of the Antiquarian Booksellers Association of America (ABAA) for over 30 years.

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Some terminology that may be used in this description includes:

Gilt: The decorative application of gold or gold coloring to a portion of a book on the spine, edges of the text block, or an inlay in...
Device: Especially for older books, a printer's device refers to an identifying mark, also sometimes called a printer's mark, on the...
First Edition: In book collecting, the first edition is the earliest published form of a book. A book may have more than one first edition in...
Cloth: "Cloth-bound" generally refers to a hardcover book with cloth covering the outside of the book covers. The cloth is stretched...
New: A new book is a book previously not circulated to a buyer. Although a new book is typically free of any faults or defects, "new"...