The ''New York Edition'' of Henry James' fiction was a 24-volume collection of the Anglo-American writer's novels,

novellas A novella is a narrative prose fiction whose length is shorter than most novels, but longer than most short stories. The English word ''novella'' derives from the Italian ''novella'' meaning a short story related to true (or apparently so) facts ...

and

short stories A short story is a piece of prose fiction that typically can be read in one sitting and focuses on a self-contained incident or series of linked incidents, with the intent of evoking a single effect or mood. The short story is one of the oldest t ...

, originally published in the

U.S. The United States of America (U.S.A. or USA), commonly known as the United States (U.S. or US) or America, is a country primarily located in North America. It consists of 50 states, a federal district, five major unincorporated territori ...

and the UK between 1907 and 1909, with a

photogravure Photogravure (in French ''héliogravure'') is a process for printing photographs, also sometimes used for reproductive intaglio printmaking. It is a photo-mechanical process whereby a copper plate is grained (adding a pattern to the plate) and ...

frontispiece for each volume by Alvin Langdon Coburn. Two more volumes containing James' unfinished novels, '' The Ivory Tower'' and ''

The Sense of the Past ''The Sense of the Past'' is an unfinished novel by the American author Henry James that was published in 1917, a year after James' death. The novel is at once an eerie account of time travel and a bittersweet comedy of manners. A young American ...

'', were issued in 1917 in a format consistent with the original set. The entire collection was republished during the 1960s by

Charles Scribner's Sons Charles Scribner's Sons, or simply Scribner's or Scribner, is an American publisher based in New York City, known for publishing American authors including Henry James, Ernest Hemingway, F. Scott Fitzgerald, Kurt Vonnegut, Marjorie Kinnan R ...

. The official title of the set was ''The Novels and Tales of Henry James'', though the more informal title was suggested by James himself and appears as a subtitle on the series title page in each volume. It has been used almost exclusively by subsequent commentators.

Prefaces

James wrote a series of

preface __NOTOC__ A preface () or proem () is an introduction to a book or other literary work written by the work's author. An introductory essay written by a different person is a '' foreword'' and precedes an author's preface. The preface often close ...

s for the set which have become the focus of intense

critical Critical or Critically may refer to: *Critical, or critical but stable, medical states **Critical, or intensive care medicine *Critical juncture, a discontinuous change studied in the social sciences. *Critical Software, a company specializing in ...

attention. Written in the ornate style of his final years, the prefaces discuss such important topics in the writing of fiction as

point of view Point of view or Points of View may refer to: Concept and technique * Point of view (philosophy), an attitude how one sees or thinks of something * Point of view (literature) or narrative mode, the perspective of the narrative voice; the prono ...

, the central

intelligence Intelligence has been defined in many ways: the capacity for abstraction, logic, understanding, self-awareness, learning, emotional knowledge, reasoning, planning, creativity, critical thinking, and problem-solving. More generally, it can be des ...

of the protagonist, "foreshortening" or the presentation of complex material in a reasonable length, creating the sense of wonder necessary for effective storytelling, the need for attention on the part of the

reader A reader is a person who reads. It may also refer to: Computing and technology * Adobe Reader (now Adobe Acrobat), a PDF reader * Bible Reader for Palm, a discontinued PDA application * A card reader, for extracting data from various forms of ...

, the proper selections and exclusions of additional developments of the original

narrative A narrative, story, or tale is any account of a series of related events or experiences, whether nonfictional (memoir, biography, news report, documentary, travelogue, etc.) or fictional ( fairy tale, fable, legend, thriller, novel, etc. ...

idea, the relationship between narrative art and ordinary human life, and the contrast between

romanticism Romanticism (also known as the Romantic movement or Romantic era) was an artistic, literary, musical, and intellectual movement that originated in Europe towards the end of the 18th century, and in most areas was at its peak in the approximate ...

and

realism Realism, Realistic, or Realists may refer to: In the arts *Realism (arts), the general attempt to depict subjects truthfully in different forms of the arts Arts movements related to realism include: *Classical Realism *Literary realism, a move ...

. James also explored the origins of many of his fictions and often recounted personal experiences involved in their writing, such as the distracting beauty of

Venice Venice ( ; it, Venezia ; vec, Venesia or ) is a city in northeastern Italy and the capital of the Veneto region. It is built on a group of 118 small islands that are separated by canals and linked by over 400 bridges. The isla ...

where he wrote much of '' The Portrait of a Lady''.

Construction and criticism

James excluded much of his fiction from the edition, especially many early works from the 1860s, 1870s and 1880s. Critical controversy has swirled around the exclusion of such works as '' Washington Square'' and ''

The Europeans ''The Europeans: A sketch'' is a short novel by Henry James, published in 1878. It is essentially a comedy contrasting the behaviour and attitudes of two visitors from Europe with those of their relatives living in the "new" world of New England ...

''. Although he spent a great deal of time and effort on the edition, James' hopes for financial returns were largely disappointed. The edition sold poorly, as James lamented in his letters. To his friend

Edmund Gosse Sir Edmund William Gosse (; 21 September 184916 May 1928) was an English poet, author and critic. He was strictly brought up in a small Protestant sect, the Plymouth Brethren, but broke away sharply from that faith. His account of his childhoo ...

, James wrote in 1915: :"That Edition has been, from the point of view of profit either to the publishers or to myself, practically a complete failure; vulgarly speaking, it doesn't sell... ndhas never had the least intelligent critical justice done it—or any sort of critical attention at all paid to it..." James was an inveterate reviser of his works, and for the edition he made extensive alterations in many of his fictions, especially earlier works like ''

Roderick Hudson ''Roderick Hudson'' is a novel by Henry James. Originally published between January and December 1875 as a serial in '' The Atlantic Monthly'', it is a bildungsroman that traces the development of the title character, a sculptor. Plot summary Ro ...

'' and '' The American''. These revisions have also come under extensive critical scrutiny. Some commentators such as

F.R. Leavis Frank Raymond "F. R." Leavis (14 July 1895 – 14 April 1978) was an English literary critic of the early-to-mid-twentieth century. He taught for much of his career at Downing College, Cambridge, and later at the University of York. Leavis ra ...

have decried the revisions as verbose and unnecessary tinkerings with the original, superior versions. Other writers such as

Philip Horne Philip Horne (born 1957) is a teacher and literary critic specializing in 19th century literature, particularly Henry James and Charles Dickens. Educated at King's College School and Cambridge University, he is currently Professor of English at Uni ...

have generally favored the revisions as heightening and deepening the effects of James' fiction. A number of biographers and critics, including

Leon Edel Joseph Leon Edel (9 September 1907 – 5 September 1997) was an American/Canadian literary critic and biographer. He was the elder brother of North American philosopher Abraham Edel. The ''Encyclopædia Britannica'' calls Edel "the foremos ...

and Michael Anesko, have discussed the construction of the edition and the compromises James made in selecting and excluding certain works due to commercial demands and his own tastes and preferences.

List of volumes

#''

'' #'' The American'' #'' The Portrait of a Lady'' (part one) #'' The Portrait of a Lady'' (part two) #'' The Princess Casamassima'' (part one) #'' The Princess Casamassima'' (part two) #'' The Tragic Muse'' (part one) #'' The Tragic Muse'' (part two) #''

The Awkward Age ''The Awkward Age'' is a novel by Henry James, first published as a serial in ''Harper's Weekly'' in 1898–1899 and then as a book later in 1899. Originally conceived as a brief, light story about the complications created in her family's socia ...

'' #''

The Spoils of Poynton ''The Spoils of Poynton'' is a novel by Henry James, first published under the title ''The Old Things'' as a serial in ''The Atlantic Monthly'' in 1896 and then as a book in 1897. This novel traces the shifting relations among three people and ...

'', '' A London Life'', ''The Chaperon'' #'' What Maisie Knew'', ''

In the Cage ''In the Cage'' is a novella by Henry James, first published as a book in 1898. This long story centers on an unnamed London telegraphist. She deciphers clues to her clients' personal lives from the often cryptic telegrams they submit to her ...

'', '' The Pupil'' #'' The Aspern Papers'', ''

The Turn of the Screw ''The Turn of the Screw'' is an 1898 horror novella by Henry James which first appeared in serial format in '' Collier's Weekly'' (January 27 – April 16, 1898). In October 1898, it was collected in ''The Two Magics'', published by Macmil ...

'', '' The Liar'', ''The Two Faces'' #''

The Reverberator ''The Reverberator'' is a short novel by Henry James, first published as a serial in ''Macmillan's Magazine'' in 1888, and then as a book later the same year. Described by web authorityon Henry James as "a delightful Parisian bonbon," the comedy ...

'', '' Madame de Mauves'', '' A Passionate Pilgrim'', ''The Madonna of the Future'', ''Louisa Pallant'' #''Lady Barbarina'', ''The Siege of London'', ''An International Episode'', ''The Pension Beaurepas'', '' A Bundle of Letters'', ''The Point of View'' #'' The Lesson of the Master'', '' The Death of the Lion'', ''

The Next Time "The Next Time" backed with "Bachelor Boy" was the first of three number one hit singles from the Cliff Richard musical, '' Summer Holiday''. Both sides were marketed as songs with chart potential, and the release is viewed retroactively as a dou ...

'', '' The Figure in the Carpet'', '' The Coxon Fund'' #'' The Author of Beltraffio'', '' The Middle Years'', ''Greville Fane'', ''Broken Wings'', ''The Tree of Knowledge'', ''The Abasement of the Northmores'', '' The Great Good Place'', ''Four Meetings'', '' Paste'', ''

Europe Europe is a large peninsula conventionally considered a continent in its own right because of its great physical size and the weight of its history and traditions. Europe is also considered a subcontinent of Eurasia and it is located entirel ...

'', ''Miss Gunton of Poughkeepsie'', ''Fordham Castle'' #'' The Altar of the Dead'', '' The Beast in the Jungle'', '' The Birthplace'', ''The Private Life'', ''Owen Wingrave'', '' The Friends of the Friends'', ''Sir Edmund Orme'', '' The Real Right Thing'', '' The Jolly Corner'', ''Julia Bride'' #''

Daisy Miller ''Daisy Miller'' is a novella by Henry James that first appeared in '' The Cornhill Magazine'' in June–July 1878, and in book form the following year. It portrays the courtship of the beautiful American girl Daisy Miller by Winterbourne, a s ...

'', ''Pandora'', ''The Patagonia'', ''The Marriages'', ''

The Real Thing The Real Thing or Real Thing may refer to: Film and television * The Real Thing (film), ''The Real Thing'' (film) or ''Livers Ain't Cheap'', a 1996 American film * ''The Real Thing'', a 1980 television documentary by James Burke (science historian) ...

'', '' Brooksmith'', ''The Beldonald Holbein'', ''The Story In It'', ''Flickerbridge'', '' Mrs. Medwin'' #''

The Wings of the Dove ''The Wings of the Dove'' is a 1902 novel by Henry James. It tells the story of Milly Theale, an American heiress stricken with a serious disease, and her effect on the people around her. Some of these people befriend Milly with honourable ...

'' (part one) #''

'' (part two) #''

The Ambassadors ''The Ambassadors'' is a 1903 novel by Henry James, originally published as a serial in the ''North American Review'' (NAR). The novel is a dark comedy which follows the trip of protagonist Lewis Lambert Strether to Europe to bring the son o ...

'' (part one) #''

'' (part two) #''

The Golden Bowl ''The Golden Bowl'' is a 1904 novel by Henry James. Set in England, this complex, intense study of marriage and adultery completes what some critics have called the "major phase" of James's career. ''The Golden Bowl'' explores the tangle of int ...

'' (part one) #''

'' (part two) #'' The Ivory Tower'' (issued posthumously 1917) #''

'' (issued posthumously 1917)

References

* ''Henry James: The Master 1901–1916'' by Leon Edel (1972) * ''Studies in Henry James'' by R.P. Blackmur (1983) * ''Henry James Literary Criticism — French Writers, Other European Writers, The Prefaces to the New York Edition'' edited by Leon Edel and Mark Wilson (1984) * ''Henry James Letters'' edited by Leon Edel, volume 4 (1984) * ''"Friction with the Market": Henry James and the Profession of Authorship'' by Michael Anesko (1986) * ''Henry James and Revision: the New York edition'' by Philip Horne (1995) * ''Henry James's New York Edition: The Construction of Authorship'' edited by David McWhirter (1995) * "Henry James at Work: The Question of Our Texts" by Philip Horne in ''The Cambridge Companion to Henry James'' edited by Jonathan Freedman (1998) * ''Henry James: Literary Criticism: French Writers, Other European Writers, Prefaces to the New York Edition'', edited by Mark Wilson and Leon Edel. Library of America (1984)

External links

The Henry James Scholar's Guide to Web Sites
{{Henry James New York Edition