1900s: the New Century

 

The Virginian [1902]
Owen Wister (1860-1938)
A Wyoming ranching world seen from the outside. Its strong characters have become stereotyped, but the originals are here to be exploited.

The Call Of The Wild [1903]
Jack London (1876-1916)
Set in the Alaska Gold Rush, Buck, a dog born to luxury, was kidnapped, beaten and sold before escaping captivity.

The Jungle [1906]
Upton Sinclair (1878-1968)
Sinclair was an advocate of political reform. This novel, at times written in journalistic style, portrays poverty stricken and cheated Lithuanian refugees trying to survive in the Chicago jungle.

The Circular Staircase [1908]
Mary Roberts Rinehart (1876-1958)
A rented summerhouse, mysterious rooms and staircases, things bumping in the night, general creepiness and a formidable woman who refuses to leave. When a murder occurs she turns detective.

A Girl Of The Limberlost [1909]
Gene Stratton Porter (1863-1924)
A charming period piece that sets on a pedestal its too-good-to-be-true youthful heroine. It contains a wealth of natural history.