The Wings of the Dove (The Modern Library, 244)
by Henry James
- Used
- good
- Hardcover
- Condition
- Good
- Seller
-
Arlington, Virginia, United States
Payment Methods Accepted
About This Item
New York: Random House / Modern Library, 1946. Hardcover. Green cloth over boards with gilt torchbearer and gilt titles in black rectangle on front cover and spine. Gray Kent Modern Library endpapers. Good book / no jacket. Notes and underlining in pencil. Rear hinge cracked. Spine straight and sound. Corners and ends frayed and bumped. Small hole in rear hinge. Covers clean. Not from a library. xxx + 768 pages.
Synopsis
Set in turn-of-the-century London, Henry James’ The Wings of the Dove tells the story of Mildred “Milly” Theale, an orphaned American heiress, and the mixed motives of those around her, namely Kate Croy. Kate is a scheming young woman in love with Merton Densher, a man too poor to offer her a “fashionable marriage.” Thus, she conspires to push Merton towards Milly, who has an unnamed fatal illness, with the hope of eventually enhancing her lover’s financial status. Like much of James’ earlier works, The Wings of the Dove involves the universal themes of selfishness, greed, conspiracy, love, and betrayal. It also addresses the Victorian tradition and pitches American innocence against European cunning. However, the novel, written later in the author’s life, deals with deeper psychological aspects than his earlier works. While it does include social commentary, the central conflict of the novel regards moral character as opposed to cultural background. There have been many adaptations of The Wings of the Dove. Perhaps most notable is director Iain Softley’s 1997 film version starring Alison Elliott as Milly Theale, Helena Bonham Carter as Kate Croy, and Linus Roache as Merton Densher. The film was a box office hit that won several prizes and award nominations, including Bonham Carter’s Academy Award nomination for Best Actress. The Wings of the Dove is ranked 26th on Modern Library's list of the “100 Best” English-language novels of the 20th century.
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Details
- Bookseller
- Books of the World (US)
- Bookseller's Inventory #
- RWARE0000003058
- Title
- The Wings of the Dove (The Modern Library, 244)
- Author
- Henry James
- Format/Binding
- Hardback
- Book Condition
- Used - Good
- Quantity Available
- 1
- Edition
- Modern Library
- Binding
- Hardcover
- Publisher
- Random House / Modern Library
- Place of Publication
- New York
- Date Published
- 1946
- Pages
- xxx + 768
- Size
- 8vo
- Weight
- 0.00 lbs
- Keywords
- fiction, psychological, illness, love stories, triangles, women, youth, expats, Americans, London, England, Vencie, Italy
- Bookseller catalogs
- Fiction; Europe; Erotica; Britain;
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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....
- Cracked
- In reference to a hinge or a book's binding, means that the glue which holds the opposing leaves has allowed them to separate,...
- Jacket
- Sometimes used as another term for dust jacket, a protective and often decorative wrapper, usually made of paper which wraps...
- Cloth
- "Cloth-bound" generally refers to a hardcover book with cloth covering the outside of the book covers. The cloth is stretched...
- Hinge
- The portion of the book closest to the spine that allows the book to be opened and closed.
- 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...