Wordsworth Classics: The Golden Bowl

Henry James (1843-1916) was born in New York and had an unconventional childhood, being educated in a variety of schools and living with his family mostly in hotels in England, France and Switzerland.

He spent a term at Harvard Law School in 1862, before embarking on his career as a writer and continuing to travel extensively.

He was naturalised as a British subject in 1915. James wrote twenty novels, innumerable short stories, many works of criticism or description, a number of plays and two excellent pieces of biography. He is most noted for his methodical construction, individual style, and careful characterisation.