The Novels and Stories of Henry James was the first major posthumous collection of the prose fiction of Henry James. Published in 35 volumes between 1921 and 1923, it was by far the most complete collection of James' prose fiction up to that point. The "Collective Edition of 1883" was published early in James' career, and the later "New York Edition" (The Novels and Tales of Henry James; 1907–1909), collated by James himself, omitted about a third of James' fiction. This collection uses the "New York Edition" text where available. It is almost complete, omitting only some very early short stories, and the plays. However, in omitting the plays, it also omits two novels, The Other House and The Outcry, both of which began their lives as plays but were subsequently rewritten as novels.
Each volume was separately published, and there was nothing in the front matter to indicate that the volume was a numbered member of a collection. However an advertisement for the series appears at the end of each volume. Volumes are therefore here treated as separate publications.
Volume 24 constitutes the first English edition of Watch and Ward; the collection otherwise consists entirely of previously published material.
1620061The Novels and Stories of Henry James1921–1923Henry James (1843-1916)
All volumes are in the public domain due to copyright expiration. The 1923 volumes were published with notice but copyright was not renewed after 28 years.