A monograph that re-evaluates the final decade of Henry James' creative life. It examines the narrative of "The American Scene", the autobiographical writing, a number of short stories and two incomplete novels: works which offer contrasting notations of the self.

After a childhood divided between America and Europe, Henry James settled with his family in New England, first in what he regarded as an outpost of Europe, Newport, and later in Cambridge. The family letters (the initial inspiration for this autobiographical enterprise), many of which recount the early career of William James at Harvard and in Germany, also reveal Henry James Sr.'s views on the intellectual, philosophical, and social issues of the time. Henry Jr., aspiring to be "just "literary, "" acknowledges his indebtedness to the widely cultured artist John La Farge, whose friendship he enjoyed during adolescence. The Civil War is recorded through the letters of his younger brother, Wilky, while Henry recalls a Whitmanesque longing for the Union soldiers he met and talked to. The death of a beloved cousin, Mary Temple, who would become the inspiration for some of his greatest fictional heroines, is documented through the passionate, questioning letters she wrote in her final year of life. In "The Middle Years" James, newly resident in London, gives his impressions of some of the literary "lions" of the time, most notably George Eliot and Tennyson. This first fully annotated critical edition of "Notes of a Son and Brother" and "The Middle Years" both offers the reader extensive support in appreciating the demands of James's late prose and illuminates the context in which one of literature's most influential figures developed a characteristic voice.

Henry James records in his autobiography a transformative childhood experience in the Louvre when he foresaw the 'fun' that art might bring him. Many of his novels and stories indeed go on to dramatise the circumstances of the artist's life, and their allusions to art are extensive. This complete collection of essays and reviews presents the observations of a major author whose critical judgments have become central to an understanding of late-nineteenth-century art. Readers will find James's texts as they first appeared, with a wealth of editorial support, which captures the mood and values of the art scene in Britain, France and America - its interesting minor figures, as well as names still familiar. Many of these items are difficult to access and have not previously been available in a scholarly edition. The editorial apparatus includes a general introduction, a chronology, a textual variants section, and a biographical guide to artists.

Henry James's experience of drama began in the New York theatres of his 1850s childhood; in Europe he became familiar with the London theatre and the Theatre-Francais in Paris. He went on to experiment continuously with the 'scenic art' in his fiction, and to write plays himself. This complete collection of James's essays and reviews on drama discusses a range of theatre, including productions of Shakespeare, Tennyson, 'well-made' French plays and early performances of Ibsen. In addition, he characterises some of the great performers of the day, including Irving, Terry, Kemble, Ristori, Coquelin and Salvini. Readers will find James's texts as they first appeared, with a wealth of editorial support, which evokes the colourful world of late Victorian theatre. Many of the items included have not previously been available in a scholarly edition. The editorial apparatus includes a general introduction, a chronology, a textual variants section, and a biographical guide to actors.

After a childhood divided between America and Europe, Henry James settled with his family in New England, first in what he regarded as an outpost of Europe, Newport, and later in Cambridge. The family letters (the initial inspiration for this autobiographical enterprise), many of which recount the early career of William James at Harvard and in Germany, also reveal Henry James Sr.'s views on the intellectual, philosophical, and social issues of the time. Henry Jr., aspiring to be "just "literary, "" acknowledges his indebtedness to the widely cultured artist John La Farge, whose friendship he enjoyed during adolescence. The Civil War is recorded through the letters of his younger brother, Wilky, while Henry recalls a Whitmanesque longing for the Union soldiers he met and talked to. The death of a beloved cousin, Mary Temple, who would become the inspiration for some of his greatest fictional heroines, is documented through the passionate, questioning letters she wrote in her final year of life. In "The Middle Years" James, newly resident in London, gives his impressions of some of the literary "lions" of the time, most notably George Eliot and Tennyson. This first fully annotated critical edition of "Notes of a Son and Brother" and "The Middle Years" both offers the reader extensive support in appreciating the demands of James's late prose and illuminates the context in which one of literature's most influential figures developed a characteristic voice.