Containing letters written between October 3, 1878, and August 30, 1879, this volume ofThe Complete Letters of Henry James reveals Henry James establishing control of his writing
career and finding confidence in himself not only as a professional author on both sides of the Atlantic but also as an important social figure in London.
In this volume of 114 letters, of which 58 are published for the first time, we see James learning to negotiate, pitting one publisher against another, and working to secure simultaneous
publication in the United States and England. He establishes a working relationship with Frederick Macmillan and with the Macmillan publishing house, cultivates reviewers, basks in the
success—and notoriety—of his novellaDaisy Miller, and visits Alfred Tennyson and George Eliot, among others. James also produces essays on political subjects and continues to publish
reviews and travel essays. Perhaps most important, James negotiates terms for and begins planningThe Portrait of a Lady.
