All Formats & Editions

Henry James's great masterpiece, now in a stunning Penguin clothbound edition designed by the acclaimed Coralie Bickford-Smith.

The Portrait of a Lady is a captivating novel by Henry James that takes readers on an introspective journey through the complexities of love, freedom, and personal identity. This masterful work explores the inner life of Isabel Archer, a spirited young woman, as she navigates... Read Full Overview

Regarded by many as Henry James's finest work, and a lucid tragedy exploring the distance between money and happiness, The Portrait of a Lady contains an introduction by Philip Horne in Penguin Classics. When Isabel Archer, a beautiful, spirited American, is brought to... Read Full Overview

One of the great heroines of American literature, Isabel Archer, journeys to Europe in order to, as Henry James writes in his 1908 Preface, "affront her destiny." James began "The Portrait of a Lady" without a plot or subject, only the slim but provocative notion of a young woman... Read Full Overview

This Norton Critical Edition includes:

- The New York Edition of the novel, accompanied by Michael Gorra's introduction and explanatory footnotes.
- Background and contextual materials centering on James as a writer, The Portrait of a Lady in revision, and reviews... Read Full Overview

The Portrait of a Lady is Henry James's classic novel featuring the strong and spirited Isabel Archer, the embodiment of women's independence and strength.

Henry James's beloved masterpiece, now in a beautiful hardcover edition featuring James's groundbreaking essay "The Art of Fiction," with a foreword by acclaimed novelist Brandon Taylor