New York: Doubleday, Page, 1903. Unindicated 3rd printing of the first edition. Red decorated cloth stamped in gilt. [8], 421, [2] pp. Spine has short tears, light wear to tips of lightly darkened spine, spine gilt a mite dulled; 1920 ink name to front free endpaper; text paper lightly yellowed; page edges yellowed with a couple small spots to fore edges; else a VG unworn copy, tight in the binding. The second volume of the intended trilogy THE EPIC OF THE WHEAT, Norris died in 1902 at age 32 shortly after completion of this novel. THE OCTOPUS was the first volume and the third volume was to be titled THE WOLF. It was a big commercial success, which did Norris no good of course, and there were three printings before official publication day, with two more printings to come in 1903. See BAL 15038 for the somewhat complicated bibliographical record.