The Tragic Muse (Volume Two only of a Two-Volume Set).
by Henry James
- Used
- Hardcover
- first
- Condition
- See description
- Seller
-
Oregon City, Oregon, United States
Payment Methods Accepted
About This Item
Boston, MA Houghton Mifflin: The Riverside Press, Cambridge , 1890. Hardcover First Edition (1890), later printing. Very Good+: shows very light wear to extremities; ; a former owner's elegant personalized bookplate at the front pastedown endpaper; the gilt titles at the backstrip are muted - or dust-darkened - but remain clearly legible; the text pages are ever so slightly tanned due to aging; the binding leans slightly but remains secure; the text is clean. Free of any creased or dog-eared pages in the text. Free of any underlining, Free of any hi-lighting or marginalia or marks in the text. Free of ownership names, dates, addresses, notations, inscriptions, stamps, plates, or labels. A handsome, attractive copy, structurally sound and tightly bound, showing mild wear and minor, unobtrusive imperfections. No longer 'fresh', but remains a handsome reading copy. NOT a Remainder, Book-Club, or Ex-Library. 8vo. (7.65 x 5.25 x 1.25 inches). 459 pages. Language: English. Weight: 20 ounces. Olive cloth over boards with gilt titles and designs at the front panel and backstrip. First Edition (1890), later printing, no doubt, the year of which is not provided. Hardback: without DJ probably as published. The Tragic Muse, by Henry James, first published as a serial in The Atlantic Monthly in 1889-1890 and then as a book in 1890. This wide, cheerful panorama of English life follows the fortunes of two would-be artists: Nick Dormer, who throws over a political career in his efforts to become a painter, and Miriam Rooth, an actress striving for artistic and commercial success. A cast of supporting characters help and hinder their pursuits. The book reflects his lifelong fascination with the theater—and his ambivalent attitude towards theatrical people. Miriam Rooth is a magnificent creation, and the reader can't help but admire her tireless energy as she perfects her talent and earns great success. But James hardly portrays her as a saint, as he never minimizes her faults. Critics have generally applauded Miriam Rooth as one of James' liveliest creations. In the preface to the New York Edition text of the novel, James expressed his regret that he hadn't succeeded completely with her counterpart, Nick Dormer. The ambivalent politician turned painter does suffer in comparison with the radiant Miriam, but his dilemma is still interesting and sharply drawn.
Synopsis
Henry James (1843-1916), born in New York City, was the son of noted religious philosopher Henry James, Sr., and brother of eminent psychologist and philosopher William James. He spent his early life in America and studied in Geneva, London and Paris during his adolescence to gain the worldly experience so prized by his father. He lived in Newport, went briefly to Harvard Law School, and in 1864 began to contribute both criticism and tales to magazines. In 1869, and then in 1872-74, he paid visits to Europe and began his first novel, Roderick Hudson . Late in 1875 he settled in Paris, where he met Turgenev, Flaubert, and Zola, and wrote The American (1877). In December 1876 he moved to London, where two years later he achieved international fame with Daisy Miller . Other famous works include Washington Square (1880), The Portrait of a Lady (1881), The Princess Casamassima (1886), The Aspern Papers (1888), The Turn of the Screw (1898), and three large novels of the new century, The Wings of the Dove (1902), The Ambassadors (1903) and The Golden Bowl (1904). In 1905 he revisited the United States and wrote The American Scene (1907). During his career he also wrote many works of criticism and travel. Although old and ailing, he threw himself into war work in 1914, and in 1915, a few months before his death, he became a British subject. In 1916 King George V conferred the Order of Merit on him. He died in London in February 1916. Philip Horne has spent a decade looking at the thousands of James's letters in archives in the United States and Europe. A Reader in English Literature at University College, London, he is the author of Henry James and Revision and the editor of the Penguin Classics edition of James's The Tragic Muse .
Reviews
(Log in or Create an Account first!)
Details
- Seller
- Black Cat Hill Books
(US)
- Seller's Inventory #
- 57042
- Title
- The Tragic Muse (Volume Two only of a Two-Volume Set).
- Author
- Henry James
- Format/Binding
- Hardcover
- Book Condition
- Used
- Quantity Available
- 1
- Edition
- First Edition (1890), later printing.
- Publisher
- Houghton Mifflin: The Riverside Press, Cambridge ,
- Place of Publication
- Boston, MA
- Date Published
- 1890.
- Bookseller catalogs
- Historical Fiction; Authors Q-Z; French Literature; Vintage Popular Fiction;
Terms of Sale
Black Cat Hill Books
Default shipping charges provided at the time of sale will hold unless the actual cost of shipping is significantly more - or less -t han the default shipping charge quoted. In such cases we will contact you with alternative charges; we will arrive at these charges by the following method: actual United States Postal Service (or UPS) shipping charges + $2.00 handling charge. We guarantee the accuracy of our descriptions and the quality of our packaging. Books we ship may be returned for any reason. If you are not satisfied, notify us via email, and return the book. If we are satisfied that we have provided an inaccurate description, we will refund your return shipping charges, at USPS Media Mail rates. All prices are net to all. Please let us know if we can be of further assistance in expediting your order. Thanks from the folks on Black Cat Hill.
About the Seller
Black Cat Hill Books
Biblio member since 2004
Oregon City, Oregon
About Black Cat Hill Books
Black Cat Hill Books is an Internet-only bookseller.
Glossary
Some terminology that may be used in this description includes:
- First Edition
- In book collecting, the first edition is the earliest published form of a book. A book may have more than one first edition in...
- Remainder
- Book(s) which are sold at a very deep discount to alleviate publisher overstock. Often, though not always, they have a remainder...
- 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"...
- Marginalia
- Marginalia, in brief, are notes written in the margins, or beside the text of a book by a previous owner. This is very...
- Cloth
- "Cloth-bound" generally refers to a hardcover book with cloth covering the outside of the book covers. The cloth is stretched...
- Reading Copy
- Indicates a book that is perfectly serviceable for reading. It may have a defect or damage. As such, reading copy is not a...
- Bookplate
- Highly sought after by some collectors, a book plate is an inscribed or decorative device that identifies the owner, or former...
- 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...
Frequently asked questions
This Book’s Categories
What is a professional bookseller?
Just about anyone can sell a book, but a professional bookseller knows the ins and outs of the rare book trade. Learn more!
Michael Bond - the man behind Paddington Bear
“All the same ... it’s a very important name. And I don’t expect there are many bears in the world called Paddington!”
A lonely toy bear on an empty shop shelf on Christmas Eve in 1956 first captured the attention of Michael Bond, who kindly shared Paddington with the world.
