The Turn of the Screw
by Henry James
- Used
- as new
- Condition
- As New/[slipcase] Good
- Seller
-
Minneapolis, Minnesota, United States
Payment Methods Accepted
About This Item
New York: The Heritage Press, 1949. Limited Editions Club. As New/[slipcase] Good. Mariette Lydis. With an introduction by Carl Van Doren and illustrations by Mariette Lydis. In original, grey slipcase. Slipcase is worn with some creasing and tears. The book is in as new condition. Brown cloth over boards with silver gilding on front and spine. Top edge evenly stained light brown by publisher. The Heritage Club "Sandglass" number 5n is slipped in. Interior is clean, clear, crisp, and in unread condition.
Pages: (16) 145 Dimensions: 10¼ x 6¾ x ¾ ; slipcase: 10⅝ x 6⅞ x 1.
Pages: (16) 145 Dimensions: 10¼ x 6¾ x ¾ ; slipcase: 10⅝ x 6⅞ x 1.
Synopsis
The Turn of the Screw is a short novel or a novella written by U.S. -born British author Henry James. Originally published in 1898, it is ostensibly a ghost story that has lent itself well to operatic and film adaptation. Due to its ambiguous content and narrative skill, The Turn of the Screw became a favorite text of New Criticism. The account has lent itself to dozens of different interpretations, often mutually exclusive, including those of a Freudian nature.
Reviews
On May 24 2023, a reader said:
The Turn Of The Screw is a gothic novella by British author Henry James in which an inexperienced young governess, a parson's daughter, takes a position at a country house looking after two children. The master of the house, their uncle, gives her full authority, wanting no communication about the children.
Her welcome to the house by the housekeeper, Mrs Grose, is genuine, and she is immediately taken with the little girl, Flora. Her brother Miles arrives a few days later, inexplicably dismissed from his boarding school: he seems to be a delightful boy.
Things change when the unnamed governess spots first a man (who is apparently the ghost of the master's valet, Peter Quint) and then a woman, the ghost of the previous governess, Miss Jessel. From just their gaze, she discerns that these two are after the children.
She manages to drag information about them and their relationship from the reluctant Mrs Grose and, between them, they decide they have to protect the children from the harm they believe the apparitions intend. Her vigils yield more sightings of the two, and the governess is even more certain of their ill intent.
As time progresses, though, the governess begins to wonder if it is too late: the children seem to already be happily in the thrall of these two. Should she, against instructions, contact their uncle?
For a twenty-first Century reader, this classic, however well written, will likely be a chore to read, a characteristic of the dense nineteenth Century prose being verbosity: why use one word when ten or fifteen will do, and the small print doesn't help the reader's search for the relevant point in each sentence.
For example, "Yet when he at last arrived the difficulty of applying them, the accumulations of my problem, were brought straight home to me by the beautiful little presence on which what had occurred had as yet, for the eye, dropped neither stain nor shadow" is a sentence that might be distilled into a few words, if only the meaning could intuited, but really, life's too short to bother. In this case, maybe the movie will be better than the book.
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Details
- Bookseller
- John and Tabitha's Kerriosity Bookshop (US)
- Bookseller's Inventory #
- 4803
- Title
- The Turn of the Screw
- Author
- Henry James
- Illustrator
- Mariette Lydis
- Book Condition
- New
- Jacket Condition
- [slipcase] Good
- Quantity Available
- 1
- Edition
- Limited Editions Club
- Publisher
- The Heritage Press
- Place of Publication
- New York
- Date Published
- 1949
Terms of Sale
John and Tabitha's Kerriosity Bookshop
Your satisfaction is guaranteed. Each book is carefully described, and any condition issues are carefully called out. Any purchase can be returned for a full refund if initiated within 5 business days of your receipt (day of receipt, as noted by shipping tracking, begins day 1). Refunds will be processed once the item is shipped back and received – return shipping is at the cost of the buyer.
About the Seller
John and Tabitha's Kerriosity Bookshop
Biblio member since 2022
Minneapolis, Minnesota
About John and Tabitha's Kerriosity Bookshop
I love books. Always an eager reader, I started collecting Antiquarian books while a teenager and studying history. Flash forward a couple of decades and I am excited to open a new all-digital bookstore to continue my love of books, while bringing desired books to readers, collectors, and other sellers. From Post-Incunables to modern First Editions, I will be regularly adding new stock.
Please reach out with any questions on books, their condition, or additional photos as needed.
Please reach out with any questions on books, their condition, or additional photos as needed.
Glossary
Some terminology that may be used in this description includes:
- Crisp
- A term often used to indicate a book's new-like condition. Indicates that the hinges are not loosened. A book described as crisp...
- Spine
- The outer portion of a book which covers the actual binding. The spine usually faces outward when a book is placed on a shelf....
- Cloth
- "Cloth-bound" generally refers to a hardcover book with cloth covering the outside of the book covers. The cloth is stretched...