Frank Norris The Octopus First Edition. The Octopus The Epic of the Wheat A Story of California. New York. Doubleday, Page & Co. 1901. Norris' novelization of the Mussel Slough Tragedy of 1880, in which ranchers were pitted again the Southern Pacific Railway and lost. Red cotton covers, gilt tooled, with nice gilt tooled wheat depiction to spine. Condition: 1/2" small tear, left side of spine, center. All torn cloth present. Edges of boards each bent, and spine, ditto. Foxing dot, first few pages, lower center.