About the Author

Frank Norris (1870-1902) was an American journalist and novelist. Among his novels are McTeague, The Octopus- A Story of California, and The Pit. His fiction is classified under naturalism and has been compared to the works of mile Zola, Stephen Crane, and Edith Wharton.

Kevin Starr (1940 - 2017) was an American historian and California's State Librarian, best know for his multi-volume series on the history of California. His writing won a Guggenheim Fellowship, and gold and silver medals from the Commonwealth Club of California. His books includeAmericans and the California Dream, 1850-1915;California- A History; and Golden Gate- The Life and Times of America's Greatest Bridge.