Synopses & Reviews
This critical and scholarly edition presents the complete letters of Henry James, one of the great novelists and letter writers of the English language. Comprising more than ten thousand letters and addressing a remarkably wide range of topics, this edition is an indispensable resource for students and scholars of James, of the European novel and modern literature, and of American and English literature, culture, and criticism.
Written between December 1876 and December 1877, the letters in this volume trace Jamesand#8217;s departure from Paris and his arrival and domestication in London, where he would live at least part of each year for most of the rest of his life. In London, James quickly becomes immersed in the social and literary life of the city and of the nation. He is invited as an honorary guest to the Athenaeum Club; dines with Lord Houghton, William Gladstone, Alfred Tennyson, Heinrich Schliemann, and and#8220;half a dozen other men of and#8216;high cultureand#8217;and#8221;; and continues his friendship with Turgenev, who lives in Paris. In addition to his regular production of critical and travel essays, he completes The American, contracts with Macmillan to publish French Poets and Novelists, revises Watch and Ward for book publication, and travels to France and Italy.
Review
"Like earlier releases in the ambitious "Complete Letters of Henry James" series, this richly rewarding compilation is well annotated and scrupulously edited: in addition to the letters, it includes a brief chronology of the years covered, genealogies of principal named families, and a "biographical register" of "relatively obscure" persons mentioned."—J. J. Benardete, Choice J. J. Benardete
Review
andquot;These volumes are beautifully and generously designed, and achieve an aesthetic standard rare in modern book production.andquot;andmdash;Dieter Mehl, Archiv
Synopsis
The Complete Letters of Henry James fills a crucial gap in modern literary studies by presenting in a scholarly edition the complete letters of one of the great novelists and letter writers of the English language. Comprising more than ten thousand letters reflecting on a remarkably wide range of topics—from Jamess own life and literary projects to broader questions about art, literature, and criticism—this edition is an indispensable resource for students of James and of American and English literature, culture, and criticism as well as for research libraries throughout North America and Europe and for scholars of James, the European novel, and modern literature.
Pierre A. Walker and Greg W. Zacharias have conceived this edition according to the exacting standards of the Committee on Scholarly Editions. This volume is the second of three to include Jamess letters from 1872 to 1876.
Synopsis
Recipient of the -Approved Edition- seal from the Modern Language Association's Committee on Scholarly Editions
The Complete Letters of Henry James fills a crucial gap in modern literary studies by presenting in a scholarly edition the complete letters of one of the great novelists and letter writers of the English language. Comprising more than ten thousand letters reflecting on a remarkably wide range of topics--from James's own life and literary projects to broader questions about art, literature, and criticism--this edition is an indispensable resource for students of James and of American and English literature, culture, and criticism as well as for research libraries throughout North America and Europe and for scholars of James, the European novel, and modern literature. This volume is the second of three to include James's letters from 1872 to 1876.
About the Author
Henry James (1843-1916) wrote short stories, plays, literary criticism, and travel essays and is most famous for his many novels, which include The Portrait of a Lady, The Bostonians, The Ambassadors, and The Golden Bowl. American born, he spent considerable time in England and eventually became a British subject. When he died, he left behind more than ten thousand letters. Pierre A. Walker is a professor of English at Salem State College. He is the editor of Henry James on Culture: Collected Essays on Politics and the American Social Scene, available in a Bison Books edition, and the author of Reading Henry James in French Cultural Contexts. Greg W. Zacharias is a professor of English and the founder and director of the Center for Henry James Studies at Creighton University. He is the author of Henry James and the Morality of Fiction, editor of A Companion to Henry James, and coeditor of Tracing Henry James.