The works collected here span the early and late periods of Henry James' career. Widely considered the finest of his early novels, The Portrait of a Lady exemplifies a familiar theme in James' writing: the meeting of Europe and America. Here, the young and innocent Isabel Archer arrives in England determined to make the most of her newfound freedom. But, the path to maturity proves difficult when other expat Americans manipulate her into marriage. The Bostonians, a witty and biting satire on American life, turns romantic convention on its head. The story explores the obsessive affections of the radical Olive Chancellor for Verena Tarrant, a gifted young speaker in the feminist movement. A bitter tug of war erupts when Olive's cousin Basil Ransom becomes equally besotted. In the eerie, unforgettable The Turn of the Screw, a naïve governess is sent off to a country house to take charge of two orphaned children. She finds a pleasant house and a comfortable housekeeper, while the children are beautiful and charming. But she soon begins to feel the presence of intense evil.