Age of Innocence, by
Edith Wharton, is part of the
Barnes & Noble Classics series, which offers quality editions at affordable prices to the student and
the general reader, including new scholarship, thoughtful design, and pages of carefully crafted extras. Here are some of the remarkable features of
Barnes & Noble Classics:
New introductions commissioned from today's top writers and scholars Biographies of the authors Chronologies of contemporary historical, biographical, and cultural events Footnotes and
endnotes Selective discussions of imitations, parodies, poems, books, plays, paintings, operas, statuary, and films inspired by the work Comments by other famous authors Study questions to
challenge the reader's viewpoints and expectations Bibliographies for further reading Indices & Glossaries, when appropriateAll editions are beautifully designed and are printed to
superior specifications; some include illustrations of historical interest. Barnes & Noble Classics pulls together a constellation of influences—biographical, historical, and
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Winner of the 1921 Pulitzer Prize,
The Age of Innocence is
Edith Wharton’s masterful portrait of desire and betrayal during the sumptuous Golden Age of Old New York, a time when
society people “dreaded scandal more than disease.”
This is Newland Archer’s world as he prepares to marry the beautiful but conventional May Welland. But when the mysterious Countess Ellen Olenska returns to New York after a disastrous
marriage, Archer falls deeply in love with her. Torn between duty and passion, Archer struggles to make a decision that will either courageously define his life—or mercilessly destroy it.
Maureen Howard is a critic, teacher, and writer of fiction. Her seven novels include
Bridgeport Bus,
Natural History, and
A Lover’s Almanac. Her memoir,
Facts of
Life, won the National Book Critics’ Circle Award. She has taught at Yale and Columbia University.