Born into wealth and aristocracy, Edith Wharton (1862–1937) was a member as well as an observer of fashionable New York society. Aspirations to authorship consigned her to outsider status among the idle rich; nevertheless, she drew upon her privileged social position to create witty and psychologically insightful novels and short stories about people from all walks of life. This well-rounded introduction to Wharton's works features the complete text of her Pulitzer Prize–winning novel, The Age of Innocence, as well as her haunting novella, Ethan Frome. Several excerpts from her highly influential guide to interior design, The Decoration of Houses, offer samples of Wharton's nonfiction style. The collection also includes four short stories as well as several poems.

"The Irish poet and playwright's only novel, The Picture of Dorian Gray, appears in this splendid showcase of philosophy and wit. Additional selections include Wilde's ever-popular comedy, The Importance of Being Earnest; his essay on aestheticism, "The Decay of Lying: An Observation"; his prison letter, "De Profundis"; and other works of poetry and prose"--

Selections from the ever-popular English author's works include the complete text of two of her novels, Pride and Prejudice and Persuasion, in addition to excerpts from her letters and Juvenilia.

Primer of influential and innovative works features A Portrait of the Artist as a Young Man in its entirety, excerpts from Ulysses, the short story collection Dubliners, the play Exiles, and Chamber Music, an early book of poems.

Anthology featuring the author's most famous novel, "Heart of Darkness, " along with "The Congo Diary, The Secret Agent, " and "Almayer's Folly." Short stories includes "Youth: A Narrative," "The Secret Sharer," and other tales.

At her death in 1937, Wharton left behind a collection of unpublished work written throughout her lifetime. This book includes a novella penned when Wharton was only 14, two abandoned novels, three stage-plays, and a frank life writings drafted late in her career.

"A new view of Wharton's inner life and the fictional characters reflecting that life". -- Choice

This book uses traditional methods to show that Edith Wharton's learning in literature and the fine arts was unusually masterful, that she applied her knowledge to create new models of literary allusion, and that in her work she planted clues to personal secrets. The effects of this study is to require reassessment not only of the critical possibilities of Edith Wharton's work and the private life about which she was so reticent but also of her position in American literature. The book concludes with the assertion that, as a bridge between the Victorian and modern periods, Edith Wharton should stand independently as an American writer of the first rank.