Letters, Fictions, Lives

This volume attempts to determine the early influence shared between William Dean Howells and Henry James by reconstructing and evaluating documentary evidence of their literary cross-fertilization. Of the 151 letters included in this volume - most of the extant correspondence between the two men - only half have been printed elsewhere. All items previously unpublished are letters by James. The selection represents each writer's most significant criticism of theother, providing a valuable tool for historically informed comprehension and appreciation of both men's work.