Books

First edition in book form. The novel began serialization around the centenary of the Declaration of Independence and is based on the question of American identity. The plot revolves around the clash of cultures between a young American on a European tour and his hosts, with the implication that America lacks the high civilization of the old world. The novel was originally serialized in The Atlantic Monthly from June 1876 to May 1877 and revised for publication in book form in the month of completion. BAL 1035; Edel & Laurence A4a; Supino 4.1.0. Octavo. Original brown cloth (Edel & Laurence's binding A, no priority), spine lettered in gilt. Housed in black cloth slipcase. Early gift inscription to first blank page. Extremities a little rubbed and worn, contents a little toned. A very good copy.

The American is a novel by Henry James, originally published as a serial in The Atlantic Monthly in 1876-77 and then as a book in 1877. The novel is an uneasy combination of social comedy and melodrama concerning the misadventures of its eponymous hero, Newman, an essentially good-hearted but rather unsophisticated American businessman who is confronted with the Machiavellian world of Parisian society and its complex codes of honour.