The Conquest of Canaan [Hardcover]

Booth Tarkington (Author), Lucius W. Hitchcock (Illustrator)

Book Description

Publication Date: August 19, 2004

1905. Although his first book was about English romance, Newton Booth Tarkington, winner of two Pulitzer Prizes for The Magnificent Ambersons and Alice Adams, came to be known for his comical (and almost cynical) style of the Lost Generation that characterized the 1920's. The Conquest of Canaan begins: A dry snow had fallen steadily throughout the still night, so that when a cold upper wind cleared the sky gloriously in the morning the incongruous Indiana town shone in white harmony-roof, ledge, and earth as evenly covered as by moonlight. There was no thaw; only where the line of factories followed the big bend of the frozen river, their distant chimneys like exclamation points on a blank page, was there a first threat against the supreme whiteness. See other titles by this author available from Kessinger Publishing.

Product Details

• Hardcover: 412 pages
• Publisher: Kessinger Publishing, LLC (August 19, 2004)
• Language: English
• ISBN-10: 1432618431
• ISBN-13: 978-1432618438
• Product Dimensions: 9 x 6 x 1.1 inches
• Shipping Weight: 1.7 pounds (View shipping rates and policies)
• Average Customer Review: 3.0 out of 5 stars  See all reviews (1 customer review)

More About the Author

Discover books, learn about writers, read author blogs, and more.

Customer Reviews

Most Helpful Customer Reviews

2 of 4 people found the following review helpful:

3.0 out of 5 stars Typical early Tarkington, September 14, 1999

By A Customer

This review is from: The Conquest of Canaan. (Hardcover)

A tale about a social pariah, Joe Louden, who as a young man is maligned and much talked about in the small midwestern town of Canaan. Leader of the talkers is Judge Pike, the richest and most powerful man in the city. Joe, even though he is poor, turns to reading books and studying law in his spare time. He eventually leaves town and gets himself through law school. He begins to practice law and only handles the scoundrels of the town because Pike and the rest of the town scolds anyone who should use his services. With the help of a woman, he wins the respect of Canaan and is able to usurp Pike's power.

I thought this book was fairly dry. There were some interesting parts, but overall, I found it hard to get into. I suspect, Tarkington's early works were not as polished and his older ones.