HENRY JAMES SERIES:

The Portrait of a Lady — Volume 1

The Portrait of a Lady — Volume 1

Henry James

Literature & Fiction / Short Stories

The Portrait of a Lady is a novel by Henry James, first published as a serial in The Atlantic Monthly and Macmillan's Magazine in 1880-1881 and then as a book in 1881. It is the story of a spirited young American woman, Isabel Archer, who "affronts her destiny" and finds it overwhelming. She inherits a large amount of money and subsequently becomes the victim of Machiavellian scheming by two American expatriates. Like many of James's novels, it is set mostly in Europe, notably England and Italy. Generally regarded as the masterpiece of his early phase of writing, this novel reflects James's absorbing interest in the differences between the New World and the Old. It also treats in a profound way the themes of personal freedom, responsibility, betrayal, and sexuality.
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Washington Square

Washington Square

Henry James

Literature & Fiction / Short Stories

Washington Square is a short novel by Henry James. Originally published in 1880 as a serial in Cornhill Magazine and Harper's New Monthly Magazine, it is a structurally simple tragicomedy that recounts the conflict between a dull but sweet daughter and her brilliant, unemotional father. The plot of the novel is based upon a true story told to James by his close friend, British actress Fanny Kemble.[1] The book is often compared with Jane Austen's work for the clarity and grace of its prose and its intense focus on family relationships. James was not a great fan of Washington Square itself. He tried to read it over for inclusion in the New York Edition of his fiction (1907–1909) but found that he could not, and the novel was not included. Other readers, though, have sufficiently enjoyed the book to make it one of the more popular works of the Jamesian canon.
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The Portrait of a Lady — Volume 2

The Portrait of a Lady — Volume 2

Henry James

Literature & Fiction / Short Stories

The Portrait of a Lady is a novel by Henry James, first published as a serial in The Atlantic Monthly and Macmillan's Magazine in 1880-1881 and then as a book in 1881. It is the story of a spirited young American woman, Isabel Archer, who "affronts her destiny" and finds it overwhelming. She inherits a large amount of money and subsequently becomes the victim of Machiavellian scheming by two American expatriates. Like many of James's novels, it is set mostly in Europe, notably England and Italy. Generally regarded as the masterpiece of his early phase of writing, this novel reflects James's absorbing interest in the differences between the New World and the Old. It also treats in a profound way the themes of personal freedom, responsibility, betrayal, and sexuality.
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The American

The American

Henry James

Literature & Fiction / Short Stories

The American is Henry James' comic novel about an uncultured but well-meaning young businessman from the USA, who travels to Europe and is amazed by what he finds. An illustrative example of humor in the later part of the 19th century, The American is a character-driven story about a man of commerce named Christopher Newman. Tired of the stresses and strains native to business in the USA, Newman decides to travel to Europe to seek adventure. On arrival, the beauties and sins of the Old World are both a shock and a thrill to the traveller, who despite a mixed reception from the peoples of the European continent remains nevertheless optimistic and driven to discovery. The novel is generally lighthearted in portraying the naivete and optimism of Newman for comic effect. However, Henry James more serious undertone was to illustrate that Americans - despite their lack of refined mannerisms - are essentially an optimistic, honest and driven people with much to offer the wider world. Much of the book takes place in Paris, which James viewed as the quintessential centre of European culture. Having himself traversed Parisian society, James' accurate and sensual descriptions of the city and the upper reaches of its social strata are among the most praised parts of the novel. Despite the colourful style he imparted, James was unable to make The American a truly realistic story - a shortfall to which he confessed. Yet as a source of the era's humor and a romantic example of James' early style, The American is a book which shines.
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The Wings of the Dove, Volume 1 of 2

The Wings of the Dove, Volume 1 of 2

Henry James

Literature & Fiction / Short Stories

This is a pre-1923 historical reproduction that was curated for quality. Quality assurance was conducted on each of these books in an attempt to remove books with imperfections introduced by the digitization process. Though we have made best efforts - the books may have occasional errors that do not impede the reading experience. We believe this work is culturally important and have elected to bring the book back into print as part of our continuing commitment to the preservation of printed works worldwide.
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Morning Frost

Morning Frost

Henry James

Literature & Fiction / Short Stories

A gripping prequel to R. D. Wingfield's A TOUCH OF FROST, perfect for fans of David Jason's Jack Frost and readers who love Stuart MacBride, Peter James and Lynda La Plante. ****November 1982. It’s been one of the worst days of DS Jack Frost’s life. He has buried his wife Mary, and must now endure the wake, attended by all of Denton’s finest. All, that is, apart from DC Sue Clarke, who has been summoned to the discovery of a human foot in a farmer’s field. And things get worse. Local entrepreneur Harry Baskin is shot inside his club and a valuable painting goes missing. As the week goes on, a cyclist is found dead in suspicious circumstances. Frost is on the case, but another disaster – one he is entirely unprepared for – is about to strike… 'One of the most successful ventriloquial acts in crime writing.' *Financial Times*
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Fatal Frost

Fatal Frost

Henry James

Literature & Fiction / Short Stories

The second in the prequel series to R D Wingfield's A TOUCH OF FROST, for fans of David Jason's Jack Frost and crime-fiction readers. May, 1982. Britain celebrates the sinking of the Belgrano, Princess Diana prepares for the birth of her first child and Denton Police Division welcomes its first black policeman, DS Waters - recently relocated from East London. While the force is busy dealing with a spate of local burglaries, the body of fifteen-year-old Samantha Ellis is discovered in woodland next to the nearby railway track. Then a fifteen-year-old boy is found dead on Denton's golf course, his organs removed. Detective Sergeant Jack Frost is sent to investigate - a welcome distraction from troubles at home. And when the murdered boy's sister goes missing, Frost and Waters must work together to find her . . . before it's too late. 'One of the most successful ventriloquial acts in crime writing.' *Financial Times*
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Great Short Novels of Henry James

Great Short Novels of Henry James

Henry James

Literature & Fiction / Short Stories

Henry James was one of the greatest and most prolific American authors ever to have lived.Henry James believed that the short novel was the perfect literary form, and his achievements here brilliantly display his mastery of it. Noted literary critic Philip Rahv has collected ten of James's most important short novels to make one distinguished volume. Accompanied by Rahv's informative commentary and keen insights, this collection contains the following classics:MADAME DE MAUVESDAISY MILLERAN INTERNATIONAL EPISODETHE SIEGE OF LONDONLADY BARBERINATHE AUTHOR OF BELTRAFFIOTHE ASPERN PAPERSTHE PUPILTHE TURN OF THE SCREWTHE BEAST IN THE JUNGLE
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The New York Stories of Henry James

The New York Stories of Henry James

Henry James

Literature & Fiction / Short Stories

Henry James led a wandering life, which took him far from his native shores, but he continued to think of New York City, where his family had settled for several years during his childhood, as his hometown. Here Colm Tóibín, the author of the Man Booker Prize shortlisted novel The Master, a portrait of Henry James, brings together for the first time all the stories that James set in New York City. Written over the course of James’s career and ranging from the deliciously tart comedy of the early “An International Episode” to the surreal and haunted corridors of “The Jolly Corner,” and including “Washington Square,” the poignant novella considered by many (though not, as it happens, by the author himself) to be one of James’s finest achievements, the nine fictions gathered here reflect James’s varied talents and interests as well as the deep and abiding preoccupations of his imagination. And throughout the book, as Tóibín’s fascinating introduction demonstrates, we see James struggling to make sense of a city in whose rapidly changing outlines he discerned both much that he remembered and held dear as well as everything about America and its future that he dreaded most. Stories included: The Story of a Masterpiece A Most Extraordinary Case Crawford’s Consistency An International Episode The Impressions of a Cousin The Jolly Corner Washington Square Crapy Cornelia A Round of Visits
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Frost at Midnight

Frost at Midnight

Henry James

Literature & Fiction / Short Stories

The fourth prequel to R. D. Wingfield's A TOUCH OF FROST, for anyone who loved watching David Jason as Jack Frost, and readers of sharply plotted detective crime novels. August, 1983. Denton is preparing for a wedding, with less than a week to go until Detective Sergeant Waters marries Kim Myles. But the Sunday before the big day, the body of a young woman is found in the churchyard. Their idyllic wedding venue has become a crime scene. As best man to Waters, Detective Inspector Jack Frost has a responsibility to solve the mystery before the wedding. But with nowhere to live since his wife's family sold his matrimonial home, Frost's got other things on his mind. Can he put his own troubles aside and step up to be the detective they need him to be? 'One of the most successful ventriloquial acts in crime writing.' *Financial Times*
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The Europeans

The Europeans

Henry James

Literature & Fiction / Short Stories

One of Henry James’ main themes was the interaction between the Old World and the New. Restless Baroness Eugenia Munster and her charming bohemian brother Felix are visiting their American cousins in Boston, New England. The effect these two extravagant characters have on their austere Puritan relations forms the substance of the book and is told in a series of scenes or‘sketches’. The author writes with subtly observed good humour which accelerates and escalates into higher comedy as Felix, the main protagonist, manipulates his cousin’s emotional affiliations.
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The Ambassadors

The Ambassadors

Henry James

Literature & Fiction / Short Stories

Introduction by Colm Tóibín One of the final masterpieces from one of the world’s greatest authors, Henry James’s The Ambassadors is now available for the first time in a Modern Library edition, with a new Introduction by acclaimed novelist Colm Tóibín. A keenly observed tale of a man’s awakening to life, this dark comic novel follows Lewis Lambert Strether, a middle-aged widower, on a mission to Europe to convince his fiancée’s wayward son to forsake the pleasures of Paris and return to America. Rich with fin de siècle detail, The Ambassadors brims with finely drawn character portraits, including one of the Master’s most unforgettable heroines—the beguiling Madame de Vionnet. This was the novel that Henry James himself considered his finest, and no one is better equipped to put it into literary and historical context than Colm Tóibín, whose award-winning novel The Master depicted the inner life of James in the final years of the nineteenth century.
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Blackwater

Blackwater

Henry James

Literature & Fiction / Short Stories

THE NEW ESSEX-BASED CRIME SERIES FROM THE BESTSELLING AUTHOR OF THE DI JACK FROST PREQUELS. 'James Henry's writing is vivid and compelling, with great evocation of the 1980s period' Peter James January 1983, Colchester CID A new year brings new resolutions for Detective Inspector Nicholas Lowry. With one eye on his approaching fortieth birthday, he has given up his two greatest vices: smoking, and the police boxing team. As a result, the largest remaining threat to his health is now his junior colleague's reckless driving. If Detective Constable Daniel Kenton's orange sports convertible is symbolic of his fast track through the ranks, then his accompanying swagger, foppish hairstyle and university education only augment his uniqueness in the department. Yet regardless of this, it is not DC Kenton who is turning station heads. WPC Jane Gabriel is the newest police recruit in Britain's oldest recorded town. Despite a familial tie to top brass, Gabriel's striking beauty and profound youth have landed her with two obstacles: a young male colleague who gives her too much attention, and an older one who acts like she's not there. January 1983, Blackwater Estuary A new year brings a new danger to the Essex shoreline. An illicit shipment, bound for Colchester - 100 kilograms of powder that will frantically accelerate tensions in the historic town, and leave its own murderous trace. Lowry, Kenton and Gabriel must now develop a tolerance to one another, and show their own substance, to save Britain's oldest settlement from a new, unsettling enemy.
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The Portrait of a Lady

The Portrait of a Lady

Henry James

Literature & Fiction / Short Stories

When Isabel Archer, a beautiful, spirited American, is brought to Europe by her wealthy Aunt Touchett, it is expected that she will soon marry. But Isabel, resolved to determine her own fate, does not hesitate to turn down two eligible suitors. She then finds herself irresistibly drawn to Gilbert Osmond, who, beneath his veneer of charm and cultivation, is cruelty itself. A story of intense poignancy, Isabel's tale of love and betrayal still resonates with modern audiences.
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