The American
written by Henry James, foreword by Wendy Lesser

Henry James brilliantly combines comedy, tragedy, and romance in this tale of a fabulously wealthy, self-made American in Paris in the 1860s. After meeting Claire de Cintre, a beautiful and charming young countess, Christopher Newman comes to see her as the acquisition that will crown his achievements and give meaning to his life. He believes too that by marrying her he can rescue her from genteel poverty and from her stiffly proud family, the Bellegardes.

Newman, however, soon finds himself no match for the machinations of Claire's aristocratic relatives, driven as they are by contempt for his industrial millions and by a social code that is utterly alien to him. His hopes blocked at every turn, he begins to unravel a family secret that may put vengeance within his reach. Described as James's most melodramatic and suspenseful novel, The American is also a vivid exploration of what would become his most powerful and enduring theme: the clash between the values of the Old World and the New.

ZC6119    The American                                           $7.95

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