Edith Wharton

A ravishing romance about three wealthy New Yorkers caught in a tragic love triangle, the ironically-titled story chronicles the grandeur and hypocrisy of high society in the 1870's.

Originally born in an impoverished community, Charity's parents sought out the most educated man in the nearby New England town to raise their daughter. After being surrendered to a lawyer named Royall, Charity was raised comfortably by Mr. Royall and his wife. However, when Mrs. Royall tragically passes away, Charity's relationship with Royall is threatened. After his wife's death, Royall begins to feel sexually attracted to Charity, and when she...

Susy Branch and Nick Lansing are typical Wharton heroes: popular, attractive, and much poorer than their "international set" friends. Like Lily Bart in The House of Mirth, the two depend on the largesse of more privileged acquaintances to get by. Recognizing in each other a desire for the finer things in life, they decide to get married and, knowing that their friends will happily provide fabulous accommodations, live rent-free on an extended honeymoon...

Edith Wharton's A Son at the Front (1923) is a stirring rumination of family, art, and the shortcomings of possession. The story, which is set on the eve of the First World War reflects the author's own experience living in France when the "Great War" broke out. The delineation of Wartime Paris is one of great power and evocation, yet it is the immensely personal father-son relationship that is at the heart of this tragic novel. The novel begins in...

This early work by Edith Wharton was originally published in 1916 and we are now republishing it with a brand new introductory biography. 'Bunner Sisters' is a story about a couple of sisters who run a small shop in New York. The Elder sister is proposed to by a local clockmaker, but refuses him, and in a turn of events he becomes engaged to her younger sister. Edith Wharton was born in New York City in 1862. Wharton's first poems were published in...

The Descent of Man and Other Stories offers the author's well-known depictions of upper class life in New York, but also exhibits her remarkable talent in tales of humorous irony, history and the supernatural. Originally published in 1904 The Descent of Man and Other Stories features the author's nuanced prose and sharply observed characters in a chain of unforgettable tales. In several Wharton examines marriage, which was frequently arranged in...

This antiquarian book contains Edith Wharton's first serious novel, "The Valley of Decision." Within this text Wharton juxtaposes characters inspired by the anti-religious writings of Voltaire and Rousseau with the orthodox leaders of the day. As in many of Wharton's writings, it becomes evident that violation of societal conventions comes at a great personal cost. This seminal piece of literature would make for a worthy addition to any bookshelf,...

Edith Wharton was a Pulitzer Prize-winning American novelist, short story writer, and designer. She was nominated for the Nobel Prize in Literature in 1927, 1928 and 1930. Wharton combined her insider's view of America's privileged classes with a brilliant, natural wit to write humorous, incisive novels of social and psychological insight. She was also well acquainted with many of her era's other literary and public figures, including Theodore Roosevelt....

The Early Short Fiction of Edith Wharton - Part 1 Libreka classics — These are classics of literary history, reissued and made available to a wide audience. Immerse yourself in well-known and popular titles!