William Dean Howells's warm, intimate portrait of Mark Twain begins with their first meeting in Boston and grows into a lifelong friendship marked by laughter, admiration, and repeated visits in Hartford and New York. Twain emerges as a dazzling presence: theatrically dressed, mischievous, endlessly talkative, and yet rooted in a boyish originality that made his humor feel inseparable from deeper wisdom. Howells moves through literary gatherings with Fields, Aldrich, Bret Harte, and Ralph ...

A middle-aged American in Florence, comfortable and finished with life, is courted by a girl of twenty and by her chaperone, who is his own age — and behaves badly, then better, then badly again. Howells edited The Atlantic and was the most powerful literary broker in America; this 1886 novel is his lightest and his best, and the humiliation of a man discovering he is not young is done with no cruelty at all.

An Ohio family — a judge, his wife, and a daughter recovering from an unsuitable attachment — is taken to Europe to get over it, and the Atlantic and the Dutch canals do not much help. Howells edited The Atlantic and was the most powerful literary broker in America; this 1902 novel is his quiet study of ordinary decent people being wrong about their own children, and the father is beautifully done.

The Marches, married twenty-five years, take the European tour they could not afford as newlyweds — the ship, the Rhine, Carlsbad, a young couple in trouble whom they cannot help minding about. Howells edited The Atlantic and wrote for Harper's, and was the most powerful literary broker in America; here he does middle age exactly, and the kindness of the book is not softness.

A self-made paint millionaire from Vermont builds a house on the water side of Beacon Street and discovers that Boston's old families will accept his money and not his daughters. Howells edited The Atlantic and was the most powerful literary man in America; he made his hero's crisis a matter of business ethics rather than romance, which nobody had thought to do.

A Vermont girl of no family is taken up by a rich woman as a companion and carried to Italy — where the arrangement, and everyone's exact idea of what she is owed, comes apart. Howells edited The Atlantic and was the most powerful literary broker in America; this 1899 novel is his quietest anatomy of patronage, and the girl's refusal to be grateful on cue is the whole book.

Bartley Hubbard, a sharp-eyed Boston journalist, arrives to profile Silas Lapham for a series on "solid men," and the interview quickly becomes a vivid portrait of American self-making. Lapham, prosperous, plainspoken, and proud, recounts his Vermont boyhood, his mother's exhausting labor, and the hard-won path that took him from sawmills and stage driving to a hotel, a marriage to the schoolteacher Persis, and finally a business fortune. At the center of his rise is the accidental discove...

Deans History of the Ottoman Empire is a fascinating chronicle of Ottoman Empire from the 13th to the mid 19th centuries.

"Literary Boston as I Knew It" is a captivating exploration of the literary scene in Boston, penned by the esteemed author William Dean Howells. In this work, Howells reflects on his experiences and interactions with prominent literary figures of his time, providing readers with a vivid portrayal of the cultural landscape. His insightful observations and anecdotes reveal the dynamics of literary friendships and rivalries, as well as the intellectual fervor that characterized Boston's liter...

"The White Mr. Longfellow" is a reflective piece by William Dean Howells that delves into the life and character of the esteemed poet Henry Wadsworth Longfellow. Through Howells' lens, readers gain insight into Longfellow's literary contributions and his profound impact on American poetry. The essay captures the essence of Longfellow's gentle spirit and his ability to resonate with the human experience, showcasing how his works have transcended time and continue to inspire generations. How...

"My Mark Twain" is a captivating exploration of the life and character of the iconic American author, Mark Twain, as seen through the eyes of his close friend and fellow writer, William Dean Howells. In this insightful work, Howells shares personal anecdotes and reflections that illuminate Twain's unique personality, his humor, and his profound impact on American literature. The narrative captures the essence of Twain's genius while also revealing the complexities of his character, making ...

In his forties and still a bachelor, Theodore Colville is at loose ends after selling his Indiana newspaper. He decides to go back to Florence, Italy, where two decades ago a love affair of his ended badly. Soon after returning, he runs into an old friend, Evalina Bowen, who knew the girl who jilted him and who is now a chaperone for Imogene Graham, a girl of about twenty. Imogene is exciting and fresh and very earnest, and soon Colville and she are seeing more of each other. But it's uncl...