Containing letters written between September 2, 1879, and May 14, 1880, this second volume of The Complete Letters of Henry James, 1878–1880 documents the full establishment of Henry James as a professional writer and critic on both sides of the Atlantic, as James publishes the novel Confidence and the literary biography Hawthorne and begins work on Washington Square and The Portrait of a Lady. James also visits Paris, Florence, Rome, and Naples; begins his friendship with Constance Fenimore Woolson; and deepens his attachment to London and to his friends and acquaintances there.


Recipient of the “Approved Edition” seal from the Modern Language Association’s Committee on Scholarly Editions

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.

This volume contains letters written from December 21, 1877, to September 29, 1878, when, having settled comfortably into London life, James finished preparing the foundation for the career that would define his reputation as a critic and fiction writer. During this time James published Daisy Miller and The Europeans as well as other fiction, reviews, and cultural criticism.


 


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 on 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 who specialize in James, the European novel, and modern literature. This volume is the first of three to include James's letters from 1872 to 1876.

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 on art, literature, and criticism-this edition will be an indispensable resource for students of James and of American and English literature, culture, and criticism. It will also be essential for research libraries throughout North America and Europe and for scholars who specialize in 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 Modern Language Association's committee on scholarly editions. The first in the series, this two-volume work includes the letters from James's first extant one to those from 1869 in volume one and the letters from 1869 to 1872 in volume two.


Recipient of the Approved Edition seal from the Modern Language Association’s committee on scholarly editions

This volume of The Complete Letters of Henry James, 1880–1883 includes 178 letters, 98 of which are published for the first time, written from November 1, 1881, to January 1, 1883. The letters record Henry James’s establishment as one of the preeminent professional writers in Britain and the United States and follow James’s return journeys to the United States following the deaths of his parents. This volume concludes with James’s assumption of his role as the executor of his father’s will and thus the de facto head of the family.
              

 

Recipient of the Approved Edition seal from the Modern Language Association’s Committee on Scholarly Editions
 
This volume of The Complete Letters of Henry James, 1884–1886 includes 179 letters, 94 published for the first time, written between November 11, 1884, and December 21, 1885. The letters mark Henry James’s ongoing efforts to care for his sister, develop his work, strengthen his professional status, build friendships old and new, and maximize his income. James details work on midcareer novels The Bostonians and The Princess Casamassima as well as on tales that would help to define his career. He reveals his close acquaintance with British politics and politicians. This volume opens with Alice James’s arrival in England and concludes with Henry James’s plans to leave his flat in Piccadilly for his new address in De Vere Gardens, Kensington.

This volume of The Complete Letters of Henry James, 1883–1884 includes 178 letters, of which 117 are published for the first time, written from January 2, 1883, to January 29, 1884. The letters trace the development of Henry James’s literary career as well as the maturation of his international reputation as a public figure. They also record James’s recovery following the deaths of his parents and brother, the difficult execution of his father’s will, and his return to England from an extended stay in the United States. This volume concludes with James’s continuing efforts to maximize his writing income.
              

This first volume in The Complete Letters of Henry James, 1887–1888 contains 154 letters, of which 94 are published for the first time, written from early January to December 22, 1887. These letters mark Henry James’s ongoing efforts to care for his sister, develop his work, strengthen his professional status, build friendships, engage timely political and economic issues, and maximize his income. James details work on “The Aspern Papers,” Partial Portraits, and plans The Reverberator. This volume opens with James in the midst of a long sojourn in Italy and concludes with his inquiring about both the status of his essay to the American Copyright League and also the story “The Liar.”