The Age of Innocence
by Wharton, Edith
- Used
- Fine
- Hardcover
- Condition
- Fine
- Seller
-
Staten Island, New York, United States
Payment Methods Accepted
About This Item
Norwalk, Connecticut: Easton Press Hardcover, full forest green leather, heavily decorated in gilt. Smyth-sewn binding with 22kt gold accents, archival-quality acid-neutral paper, page edges gilded on three sides, moire fabric endsheets and a satin-ribbon place marker mark this as a quality Collector's Edition by the Easton Press, a title in the Great Books of the 20th Century series. Publishing date unknown, [possibly 2008], new in original publisher's shrinkwrap. Unused blank Easton Press book-plate included. A very clean, square, fresh and unmarked copy, new. Scans sent on request.. Hardcover. Fine. 8vo - over 7¾" - 9¾" tall.
Synopsis
Edith Wharton’s The Age of Innocence is set in upper-class New York City in the 1870s, during the so-called Gilded Age. The novel, which takes its title from artist Joshua Reynolds’ 1785 painting of a little girl, focuses on impending marriage of an upper-class couple: Newland Archer, a distinguished lawyer, and the shy, but lovely May Welland. Enter the bride's cousin, Ellen Olenska, plagued by a scandalous separation from her European husband, a Polish count. The presence of Ellen, a classic femme fatale, threatens the happiness of Newland and May. However, May’s determination must not be undermined as she proceeds to use everything in her power to ensure her marriage to Newland. Though the novel questions the assumptions and morals of the Gilded Age, it never explicitly condemns the era. …And perhaps it should have. The Age of Innocence won the 1921 Pulitzer Prize for Fiction, making Wharton the first woman to win the prize; however, upon being awarded the honor, the novel was praised as “best present[ing] the wholesome atmosphere of American life and the highest standard of American manners and manhood.” Many claimed that even Wharton was taken aback when reviewers failed to see the irony of the title and her social criticism of 1870s New York society. Of the many film, television, and theatrical adaptations of The Age of Innocence, perhaps most notable is the 1993 film of the same name, directed by Martin Scorsese, starring Michelle Pfeiffer as Countess Ellen Olenska, Daniel Day-Lewis as Newland Archer, and Winona Ryder as May Welland Archer. The film won an Oscar for costume design and Ryder was not only nominated for an Oscar, but won a Golden Globe Award for her portrayal of May Welland Archer. The Age of Innocence is ranked 58th on Modern Library’s “100 Best” English-language novels of the 20th century and 45th on The Guardian’s list of the 100 best novels.
Read More: Identifying first editions of The Age of Innocence
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Details
- Bookseller
- Great Expectations Rare Books
(US)
- Bookseller's Inventory #
- 011926
- Title
- The Age of Innocence
- Author
- Wharton, Edith
- Format/Binding
- Hardcover
- Book Condition
- Used - Fine
- Publisher
- Easton Press
- Place of Publication
- Norwalk, Connecticut
- Keywords
- Fine Binding, Full Genuine Leather, Literature
- Bookseller catalogs
- Fine Binding;
- Size
- 8vo - over 7¾" - 9¾" tall
Terms of Sale
Great Expectations Rare Books
All books are described in general dealer terms and we make every effort to list descriptions accurately and conservatively. Books may be returned for any reason within 10 days. We ask that customers email us before returning items. For oversize books, multi-volume titles and sets postage will charged accordingly and customer contacted with additional postage costs.
About the Seller
Great Expectations Rare Books
Biblio member since 2005
Staten Island, New York
About Great Expectations Rare Books
We carry a general stock of antiquarian books with a focus on Charles Dickens, 19th and 20th century literature, history and biography.
Glossary
Some terminology that may be used in this description includes:
- Gilt
- The decorative application of gold or gold coloring to a portion of a book on the spine, edges of the text block, or an inlay in...
- New
- A new book is a book previously not circulated to a buyer. Although a new book is typically free of any faults or defects, "new"...
- Edges
- The collective of the top, fore and bottom edges of the text block of the book, being that part of the edges of the pages of a...
- Fine
- A book in fine condition exhibits no flaws. A fine condition book closely approaches As New condition, but may lack the...
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