The Second Generation (Classic Reprint) - Hardcover

David Graham Phillips

Hardcover

ISBN 10: 0265188849 ISBN 13: 9780265188842

Publisher: Forgotten Books, 2017

Synopsis

A sweeping tale of two generations in one family of mill owners, where hard work clashes with easy wealth—and love tests the surface.

In this drama set around the Ranger and Whitney cooperage and flour operations, a powerful factory leader, Hiram Ranger, lives by labor and discipline. The story introduces his son, Arthur, whose stylish resolve hides inner conflicts as he navigates rules, pride, and a desire to prove himself. Through vivid scenes of factory floors and family rooms, the book examines what it takes to turn ambition into achievement and how class and reputation shape a man’s choices.

The narrative threads together labor, family duty, and a budding romance with a woman who challenges both Arthur and his father’s world. As tensions rise between old-school values and newer ideals, the characters confront risk, pride, and the pull of a future that may require more than strength to achieve.

• A disciplined, larger-than-life factory patriarch who leads by action rather than theory
• A stylish son trying to chart a path between privilege and genuine work
• A romance that tests loyalties and the meaning of success
• Rich period detail of early 20th‑century American industry and family life

Ideal for readers who enjoy classic American fiction about work, family, and social change, with strong character contrasts and a sense of place in the industrial era.

Edition details

• Publisher: Forgotten Books
• Publication date: 2017
• Language: English
• ISBN 10: 0265188849
• ISBN 13: 9780265188842
• Binding: Hardcover
• Number of pages: 362