1914. American author, outstanding representative of naturalism, whose novels depict real-life subjects in a harsh light. Dreiser's books were held to be amoral, and he battled throughout his career against censorship and popular taste. This is the second of a three book series, the first being The Financier, which continues the saga of Frank Cowperwood's quest for power and wealth through the use of financial acumen. The novel can also be viewed as a fictionalized history lesson of the tactics employed by the political and financial shakers and movers of that period. See other titles by this author available from Kessinger Publishing.