'No more substantial or more charming volume of criticism has been published in our time. To say that this is the best book on the subject is probably true; but it is more to the point to say that it is the only one' Times Literary Supplement

Originally published in 1913, this book of English prose for school children forms part of a two-volume series: the first volume contains selections for preparatory and elementary schools; the second volume contains selections for secondary and high schools. Both texts cover a broad variety of literary styles, moving chronologically from the late-medieval period through to the nineteenth century, explanatory notes being provided where necessary. The selections were arranged by Percy Lubbock (1879-1965), a renowned essayist, critic and biographer, who became Henry James's editor after his death.

Originally published in 1913, this book of English prose for school children forms part of a two-volume series: the first volume contains selections for preparatory and elementary schools; the second volume contains selections for secondary and high schools. Both texts cover a broad variety of literary styles, moving chronologically from the late-medieval period through to the nineteenth century, explanatory notes being provided where necessary. The selections were arranged by Percy Lubbock (1879-1965), a renowned essayist, critic and biographer, who became Henry James's editor after his death.

Percy Lubbock's "The Craft of Fiction," like E. M. Forster's "Aspects of the Novel," is an essential work of criticism. Lubbock's outlook is an extension of Henry James's. More immediately accessible than James, Lubbock illustrates the "craft" by reference to classic novels such as Tolstoy's "Anna Karenina," Flaubert's "Madame Bovary," Thackeray's "Vanity Fair," and of course James's own works, particularly "The Ambassadors." Lubbock, Forster, F. R. Leavis's "The Great Tradition," and Ian Watt's "Rise of the Novel" give you what you need to know if you want to understand the central canon in Anglo-American and European fiction. Lubbock's book is the one recommended by Graham Greene in his autobiography. Before embarking on his illustrious career, Greene studied "The Craft of Fiction" inside and out before embarking on his illustrious career. Perhaps no other stamp of approval is needed after that. Even if this book doesn't make a great novelist out of you, it will teach you how to recognize one. If you are interested in how the great novelists ply their trade, Percy Lubbock's book ranks right up there with the must-reads of novel how-to's.