The Cambridge Edition of the Complete Fiction of Henry James Series

The Portrait of a Lady

by Henry James

Published December 1947

Introduction by Fred B. Millett

Eugenia, an American expatriate brought up in Europe, arrives in rural New England with her charming brother Felix, hoping to find a wealthy second husband after the collapse of her marriage to a German prince. Their exotic, sophisticated airs cause quite a stir with their affluent, God-fearing American cousins, the Wentworths and provoke the disapproval of their father, suspicious of foreign influences. The arrival of the frivolous, handsome Felix is especially enchanting to Gertrude Wentworth, who is struggling against her sombre puritan upbringing. One of Henry James's most optimistic novels, The Europeans (1878) is a subtle and gently ironic examination of manners and morals, deftly portraying the impact of Old World experience on New World innocence.

The Reverberator

by Henry James

Published February 1981

Another Jamesian look at Americans in Paris. What happens when a reporter for an American scandal sheet (The Reverberator) is looking for a good story, though one which might interfere with the marriage plans of a young American woman in the City of Light? This book has been described as "a delicious Parisian bonbon," and its generally good humor stands in contrast with some of the writer's other work.

The Sacred Fount

by Henry James

Published December 1959

Set in the backdrop of English countryside, "The Sacred Fount" is one of those novels by James, which arise curiosity. The narrator makes an effort to find out the truth about the love lives of his fellow-guests at a weekend party. Engrossing suspense!

The Princess Casamassima

by Henry James

Published 28 April 1977

The illegitimate and impoverished son of a dressmaker and a nobleman, Hyacinth Robinson has grown up with a strong sense of beauty that heightens his acute sympathy for the inequalities that surround him. Drawn into a secret circle of radical politics he makes a rash vow to commit a violent act of terrorism. But when the Princess Casamassima - beautiful, clever and bored - takes him up and introduces him to her own world of wealth and refinement, Hyacinth is torn. He is horrified by the destruction that would be wreaked by revolution, but still believes he must honour his vow, and finds himself gripped in an agonizing and, ultimately, fatal dilemma. A compelling blend of psychological observation, wit and compassion, The Princess Casamassima (1886) is one of Henry James's most deeply personal novels.

The Outcry

by Henry James

Published 6 December 2001

THE OUTCRY is James' last novel. At the heart of the story is a questions of attribution: Lord Theign owns a painting which has for generations been known as a Moretto, but which may in fact be a Montavano, and whereas a Moretto, costing a mere 10,000 pounds holds no interest whatsoever for the acquisitive Mr Bender, a Montavano - at 100,000 pounds - most definitely does. In typical Jamesian fashion the vulgarities of the attribution and notoriety of the painting are kept off stage. Written first as a play and then novelised, THE OUTCRY is only available in this Penguin edition.

The Bostonians

by Henry James

Published May 1966

The plot of this novel revolves around the feminist movement in Boston in the 1870's. F.R. Leavis called it one of "the 2 most brilliant novels in the language. "The novel's many allusions to the historical and social background of Boston society are explained in the editorial material.

The Ambassadors

by Henry James

Published 24 September 1903

Sent to Paris by a wealthy matron to retrieve her son, Strether becomes sidetracked by intriguing complications.

The Jolly Corner and Other Tales, 1903-1910

by Henry James

Published 21 September 2017

The Cambridge Edition of the Complete Fiction of Henry James provides, for the first time, a scholarly edition of a major writer whose work continues to be read, quoted, adapted and studied. The Jolly Corner and Other Tales, 1903-1910 includes the final ten stories James wrote. Many involve satirical critiques of an increasingly narcissistic, acquisitive society - from 'The Papers', with its attack on celebrity culture, to 'The Birthplace', offering a sardonic view of the Shakespeare industry, and 'A Round of Visits', which conducts a horrified tour through selfishness and swindling in early twentieth-century New York. The title story itself was in James's own view 'a miraculous masterpiece in the line of the fantastic-gruesome, the supernatural-thrilling ... the best thing of this sort I've ever done'. With its extensive textual history and wide-ranging notes, this volume will interest not only James scholars, but all students of early twentieth-century Anglo-American literature and culture.

The Aspern Papers and Other Tales, 1884–1888

by Henry James

Published 17 March 2022

The Cambridge Edition of the Complete Fiction of Henry James provides, for the first time, a scholarly edition of a major writer whose work continues to be read, quoted, adapted and studied. The nine tales in this volume, published between 1884 and 1888, include 'The Aspern Papers', set in Venice and featuring a devious scholar attempting to steal the letters of an American poet from his former lover, and 'The Liar,' on the world of painters and their models. These tales exemplify James's continuing interest in the art of short fiction during a period which saw him responding to the stimulations of French naturalism and successfully reworking the international theme that had made him famous at the end of the 1870s. Extensive explanatory notes enable modern readers to understand the tales' historical, cultural and literary references.