Steeplejack

Steeplejack is a novel written by James Huneker that tells the story of a young man named John ""Steeplejack"" Ruskin who works as a steeplejack in New York City. As a steeplejack, John's job is to climb tall buildings and structures to perform repairs and maintenance work. Despite the dangers of his job, John is passionate about his work and takes pride in his ability to climb to great heights.The novel follows John as he navigates the challenges of his job, including dealing with difficult clients and facing the constant risk of injury or death. Along the way, John also becomes involved in a love triangle with two women, one of whom is the daughter of a wealthy client.As John's personal and professional lives become increasingly intertwined, he must confront the complex social and economic issues of turn-of-the-century America, including class inequality and the exploitation of labor. The novel ultimately explores themes of identity, ambition, and the struggle for social justice.With its vivid descriptions of New York City's skyline and its portrayal of a unique and dangerous profession, Steeplejack is a compelling and thought-provoking work of fiction that offers a glimpse into a bygone era of American history.1920. Two volumes in one. The memoirs of Huneker, preeminent as an in-depth music critic, whose impressionistic, but incisive criticism in all fields of art made him one of the most influential of his day. The following excerpt from Steeplejack offers a brief overview of how Huneker summarized his life and the wonderful prose style in which he wrote it: It is the story of an unquiet soul who voyaged from city to city, country to country, in search of something, he knew not what. The gold grapes of desire were never plucked, the marvelous mirage of the Seven Arts never overtaken, the antique and beautiful porches of philosophy, the solemn temples of religion never penetrated. Life has been the Barmecide's feast to me-remember the Arabian nights-no sooner did I covet a rare dish than fate whisked it out of my reach. I love paintings and sculpture. I may only look, but never own either pictures or marbles. I would fain be a pianist, a composer of music. I am neither. Nor a poet. Nor a novelist, actor, playwright. I have written many things from architecture to zoology, without grasping their inner substance. I am Jack of the Seven Arts, master of none. See other titles by this author available from Kessinger Publishing.This scarce antiquarian book is a facsimile reprint of the old original and may contain some imperfections such as library marks and notations. Because we believe this work is culturally important, we have made it available as part of our commitment for protecting, preserving, and promoting the world's literature in affordable, high quality, modern editions, that are true to their original work.