Cover of The Auction Block

The Auction Block

  • Free to read
  • 7 hours to read
  • 29 chapters
  • Reading level: 6th grade

"The Auction Block" by Rex Beach is a novel written during the early 20th century. The story revolves around the Knight family as they grapple with their aspirations and struggles in the bustling environment of New York City, contrasting their previous life in Vale. The tale primarily focuses on their daughter, Lorelei, who is deemed beautiful and is seen as the family's ticket to a better life through potential success in show business. At the start of the novel, we are introduced to the Knight family, particularly the father, Peter Knight, who is reluctantly faced with a political offer in New York, and his ambitious wife, who believes that their daughter Lorelei's beauty can elevate them financially. As Peter expresses his dissatisfaction with leaving his small-town life, Lorelei's mother argues that a move to the city is essential for Lorelei to find success and escape their current poverty. This opening sets the stage for the family's dynamic as they debate their futures and how Lorelei might embark on a career in theater, highlighting the conflicts and ambitions that will ultimately unfold as the narrative progresses.

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  • New York (N.Y.)

Read the opening

Chapter I

Peter Knight flung himself into the decrepit arm-chair beside the center-table and growled:

"Isn't that just my luck? And me a Democrat for twenty years. There's nothing in politics, Jimmy."

His son James smiled crookedly, with a languid tolerance bespeaking amusement and contempt. James prided himself upon his forbearance, and it was rarely indeed that he betrayed more than a hint of the superiority which he felt toward his parent.

"Politics is all right, provided you're a good picker," he said, with all the assurance of twenty-two, "but you fell off the wrong side of the fence, and you're sore."

"Of course I am. Wouldn't anybody be sore?"

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Contents

Show all 29 chapters
  1. Chapter I
  2. Chapter II
  3. Chapter III
  4. Chapter IV
  5. Chapter V
  6. Chapter VI
  7. Chapter VII
  8. Chapter VIII
  9. Chapter IX
  10. Chapter X
  11. Chapter XI
  12. Chapter XII
  13. Chapter XIII
  14. Chapter XIV
  15. Chapter XV
  16. Chapter XVI
  17. Chapter XVII
  18. Chapter XVIII
  19. Chapter XIX
  20. Chapter XX
  21. Chapter XXI
  22. Chapter XXII
  23. Chapter XXIII
  24. Chapter XXIV
  25. Chapter XXV
  26. Chapter XXVI
  27. Chapter XXVII
  28. Chapter XXVIII: Late that night John Merkle telephoned Bob Wharton to say
  29. Chapter XXIX

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About this edition

This free edition of The Auction Block by Rex Beach comes from Project Gutenberg eBook #5143, released 2004-02-01. It is in the public domain in the United States, so you can read it here in full at no cost, on any phone, tablet or computer. Genre: Novels, American Literature.

Summary provided by Project Gutenberg (automatically generated).

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