The Market-Place

Harold Frederic is an American novelist who wrote the novel The Market Place. The book's publication and popularity as a best-seller sparked a feud between Frederic's wife Grace Frederic and Mrs. Kate Lyon over his estate. Frederic penned some of the early pieces, and his abilities as a novelist were fully realized. Damnation was dubbed a "small masterpiece of realism" by critic Jonathan Yardley. The Market Place depicts how, in an era of no government control, a corporate leader is able to turn things around on short-sellers with the help of a shrewd and prominent investment banker.