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The Ambassadors
by Henry James
- Used
- near fine
- first
- Condition
- Near Fine
- Seller
-
Minneapolis, Minnesota, United States
Payment Methods Accepted
About This Item
New York: Harper & Brothers Publishers, 1903. First U.S. Edition. Near Fine.
First American edition with "Published November 1903" on copyright. No jacket. Dark blue cloth over boards with gilded letters and lines on the spine. Gilded top edge and deckled long and lower edges. Front lower right corner just bumped, others fine. Some light scuffing to corners and at head/tail of spine. Shallow closed tear on title page, otherwise the interior is fine with a very strong spine.
Considered by Henry James to be his best work, The Ambassadors has a complex publishing history. First sereialized in the North American Review (Jan-Dec 1903), James had inteded it to be simultaneously bound in London (Methuen) and New York (Harpers). However, with limited copies and an incomplete copy from the NAR, the London edition completed early, but mis-ordered certain chapters. This was corrected in the New York edition, which was heavily reviewed by James. However, it was later argued that the Metheun edition had the better order of storytelling and subsequent editions in the later 20th century again changed the order of some chapters. Here is the edition, as originaly intended and reviewed by Henry James.
From the private library of Maurice Sendak with laid in paper documenting its sale. Maurice Sendak was a celebrated children's author and illustrator known for multiple works including, "Where the Wild Things Are."
Pages: (2) 432 Dimensions: 8½ x 5¾ x 1½
Synopsis
Chad Newsome has gone to Paris. He is charmed by Old World fascinations and caught up in the leisurely craft and bohemian direction of European worldliness. An older woman of rank and adventurous but subtle skill, Madame de Vionnet, strokes his ego and does her best to keep Chad in Paris indefinitely. Chad's mother lives in Woollett, Mass., and wants her son to return to run the family business. Mrs. Newsome is an invalid and cannot go to Paris to fetch her son herself, so she employs Lambert Strether and Sarah Pocock to return Chad to Massachusetts. Sarah has been to Paris before and is aware of its attractiveness, so her determination to succeed in this task is fixed and uncompromising. Strether is of later middle age, however, and inspired by the fairytale of a beautiful life in Europe. Mrs. Newsome has promised to marry Strether if he can bring Chad home. Strether is completely enamored by the Parisian character and its enchantments and has a difficult time completing his mission. The drama of reestablishing Chad in business in America and of coming to terms with the mythological romance of France leaves the reader unbalanced, trying to recover equilibrium in the real world. Those involved with Chad's rescue are compelled to recognize the deep intimacies of personal attachment and the accepted proprieties of direct consequence. The success and failures of such an undertaking are unpredictable. The result of every character's attempt to steer Chad rightly is a strange conglomeration of role reversal, fantasy, and truth.
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Details
- Bookseller
- John and Tabitha's Kerriosity Bookshop
(US)
- Bookseller's Inventory #
- 4911
- Title
- The Ambassadors
- Author
- Henry James
- Book Condition
- Used - Near Fine
- Quantity Available
- 1
- Edition
- First U.S. Edition
- Publisher
- Harper & Brothers Publishers
- Place of Publication
- New York
- Date Published
- 1903
Terms of Sale
John and Tabitha's Kerriosity Bookshop
Your satisfaction is guaranteed. Each book is carefully described, and any condition issues are carefully called out. Any purchase can be returned for a full refund if initiated within 5 business days of your receipt (day of receipt, as noted by shipping tracking, begins day 1). Refunds will be processed once the item is shipped back and received – return shipping is at the cost of the buyer.
About the Seller
John and Tabitha's Kerriosity Bookshop
Biblio member since 2022
Minneapolis, Minnesota
About John and Tabitha's Kerriosity Bookshop
I love books. Always an eager reader, I started collecting Antiquarian books while a teenager and studying history. Flash forward a couple of decades and I am excited to open a new all-digital bookstore to continue my love of books, while bringing desired books to readers, collectors, and other sellers. From Post-Incunables to modern First Editions, I will be regularly adding new stock.
Please reach out with any questions on books, their condition, or additional photos as needed.
Please reach out with any questions on books, their condition, or additional photos as needed.
Glossary
Some terminology that may be used in this description includes:
- Spine
- The outer portion of a book which covers the actual binding. The spine usually faces outward when a book is placed on a shelf....
- Jacket
- Sometimes used as another term for dust jacket, a protective and often decorative wrapper, usually made of paper which wraps...
- 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...
- Cloth
- "Cloth-bound" generally refers to a hardcover book with cloth covering the outside of the book covers. The cloth is stretched...
- Fine
- A book in fine condition exhibits no flaws. A fine condition book closely approaches As New condition, but may lack the...
- Title Page
- A page at the front of a book which may contain the title of the book, any subtitles, the authors, contributors, editors, the...
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