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An International Episode — cover
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Aeneas Press edition Victorian First published 1878

An International Episode

by Henry James 1843–1916

The book, and the century it came out of.

Two Englishmen — a lord and his cousin — come to Newport for the summer and are entertained by two American sisters; a year later the sisters come to London and discover what the lord’s mother thinks of the arrangement. James settled in England and took British nationality at the last; this 1878 novella was read in England as an insult and in America as a betrayal, which suggests he had it about right. Illustrated with 41 full-page plates — paintings by Quartley, Heade and Bricher among them.

Four years ago—in 1874—two young Englishmen had occasion to go to the United States.
The first sentence of An International Episode
A note on this edition

An International Episode, by Henry James, complete and unabridged. Spelling and punctuation follow present-day American usage; the sentences, the paragraphs and the voice are the author’s, word for word.

It was written in another era and may carry attitudes a reader today will find dated. They are kept for the sake of the work and do not reflect the views of this house.

The edition
Format
Ebook
Extent
about 88 pages
Reading time
about 2 hours
Illustrations
Full-page plates, credited
Text
Complete, unabridged
Language
en
This edition
2026
ISBN
9785486110368
The plates

41 paintings are bound into this edition

Six of them are shown here, taken from the volume itself. Each is reproduced full page and named with its painter and year.

Morning off Marblehead, Arthur Quartley
Morning off Marblehead Arthur Quartley 1877
The National Gallery and Saint Martin’s Church in London, Giuseppe De Nittis
The National Gallery and Saint Martin’s Church in London Giuseppe De Nittis 1877
At the Antiquarian’s, Jean Carolus
At the Antiquarian’s Jean Carolus 1880
Gallant scene in the Park of Versailles, Giovanni Boldini
Gallant scene in the Park of Versailles Giovanni Boldini 1877
William Frederick Yeames (1835-1918) - Amy Robsart - N01609 - National Gallery, William Frederick Yeames
William Frederick Yeames (1835-1918) - Amy Robsart - N01609 - National Gallery William Frederick Yeames 1877
Angel Corner, Ipswich, Walter Daniel Batley
Angel Corner, Ipswich Walter Daniel Batley 1878
The setting

A page from this edition

Not a mock-up: this page is taken from the finished volume. The ornament above the chapter belongs to its shelf and to no other, the opening letter is set as a drop capital, and the plate below carries the name of the painter and the year.

A page of An International Episode as set for this edition
The opening of a chapter
A page of An International Episode as set for this edition
A page where a plate falls

Both photographed from the finished volume.

Colophon

An International Episode, first published 1878, issued in this edition by Aeneas Press in 2026 on the Literary Classics shelf. Newly set, with the ornament of its series above each chapter and a drop capital on the opening page. Illustrated with full-page plates, each named with its painter.

Published as an ebook and not issued in print by this house; it carries one ISBN, 9785486110368, and is supplied worldwide. This edition — its setting, its ornament, its cover art, and the selection and attribution of its plates — © 2026 Aeneas Press.

Before you buy

Questions readers ask

Is this the whole of An International Episode?
Yes — complete and unabridged. Nothing is cut, condensed or paraphrased. This is the book, not a summary of it.
What exactly did you change?
The spelling and the punctuation follow present-day American usage. Henry James's sentences are untouched — same words, same order, same rhythm.
Are the pictures really in the book?
Yes. The edition carries full-page plates bound into the text, each one named with its painter and the year it was made. Six of them are shown on this page.
How long is it?
About 88 pages, which is roughly about 2 hours of reading.
What do I actually get?
An illustrated ebook with its own ISBN, sold worldwide. One file, yours to keep, readable on any device.
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An International Episode
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