Calumet "K"

Calumet “K” (1904) is a novel by Henry Kitchell Webster and Samuel Merwin. Written as a collaborative effort between the two natives of Evanston, Illinois, Calumet “K” is a story of invention, struggle, and personal redemption. A favorite novel of writer and philosopher Ayn Rand, Calumet “K” launched the careers of two of the Midwest’s most popular authors of the early twentieth century. The contract for the two million bushel grain elevator, Calumet K, had been let to MacBride & Company, of Minneapolis, in January, but the superstructure was not begun until late in May, and at the end of October it was still far from completion. Ill luck had attended Peterson, the constructor, especially since August. MacBride, the head of the firm, disliked unlucky men, and at the end of three months his patience gave out, and he telegraphed Charlie Bannon…” Predating Ayn Rand’s bestselling novels of individualism and invention by several decades, Calumet “K” is a story of man and machine, of the determination and manpower required for every advancement in human history. In the grand scheme of things, the construction of a massive grain elevator in a little-known Midwestern town might seem minor, but the drama that ensues from Charlie Bannon’s arrival is a story with much larger implications. As he struggles to succeed through willpower and grit, Bannon goes up against nature, big business, and political unrest in order to achieve his goal. As the grain elevator rises with unprecedented speed, as the day of the contract’s fulfillment grows near, Bannon and his allies find themselves pushed to the brink. This edition of Samuel Merwin and Henry Kitchell Webster’s Calumet “K” is a classic of American literature reimagined for modern readers.

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Henry Kitchell Webster (1875-1932) was an American novelist and short story writer. Born in Evanston, Illinois, Webster graduated from Hamilton College in 1897 before taking a job as a teacher at Union College in Schenectady, New York. Alongside coauthor Samuel Merwin, Webster found early success with such novels as The Short Line War (1899) and Calumet “K” (1901), the latter a favorite of Ayn Rand’s. Webster’s stories, often set in Chicago, were frequently released as serials before appearing as bestselling novels, a formula perfected by the author throughout his hugely successful career. By the end of his life, Webster was known across the United States as a leading writer of mystery, science fiction, and realist novels and stories.