The Jameses: A Family Narrative [Hardcover]

R. W. B. Lewis (Author)

Book Description

Publication Date: August 1991

Even if the James family hadn't given us both William the philosopher and psychologist, and Henry the novelist, the story of this quirky, wealthy, socially prominent clan would still be riveting. Full of incidents that would become legendary, The Jameses brings to life 150 years of unforgettable American history. Four 8-page inserts.

Editorial Reviews

From Publishers Weekly

In an exceptionally smoothly blended narrative, the Pulitzer Prize-winning author of Edith Wharton traces the remarkable James family from William James of Albany, N.Y., who emigrated from Ireland in 1789 and founded the clan's fortune, to the death of novelist Henry in 1916. The main focus is on Henry Sr. and his three most prominent children: leading psychologist and thinker William; great novelist Henry, "inveterate collector of impressions"; and Alice, political radical and frequent invalid. It was Henry Sr., with his fierce independence of lifestyle and many trips to Europe en famille , who provided the cultural seedbed for his children's intellectual development. Younger offspring "Wilky," a Civil War hero, and the alcoholic "Bob," tragic figures both, receive their share of attention. Above all, it's the story of a great family, one obsessed with the notion of family immediate and national, cleverly infused with quotes from and insights into their letters and books. Photos.
Copyright 1991 Reed Business Information, Inc.

From Library Journal

The story of the James family begins with William James of Albany, who emigrated from Ireland in 1789, prospered extravagantly, and left a fortune that enabled his son, Henry James Sr., to cultivate his philosophical and spiritual ideas, travel, and raise an outstanding literary/intellectual family. The focus is, of course, on the famous Jameses--William the psychologist, Henry Jr. the novelist, Alice the invalid diarist--and their interactions, crises, and creative development. But Lewis also interweaves the stories of the younger brothers (Garth Wilkinson and Robertson), as well as insights into the characters of the wives of the Jameses, and convincingly points out the moral and intellectual influence of Henry James Sr. on his many descendants. This very full and fascinating account of one of America's major families will interest students of literature and history as well as the general reader. Previewed in Prepub Alert, LJ 4/1/91.
- Richard Kuczkowski, Dominican Coll., Blauvelt, N.Y.
Copyright 1991 Reed Business Information, Inc.

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Product Details

• Hardcover
• Publisher: Farrar Straus & Giroux (T); 1ST edition (August 1991)
• Language: English
• ISBN-10: 0374178615
• ISBN-13: 978-0374178611
• Product Dimensions: 9.6 x 6.6 x 2.4 inches
• Shipping Weight: 2.7 pounds
• Average Customer Review: 5.0 out of 5 stars  See all reviews (3 customer reviews)
• Amazon Best Sellers Rank: #2,089,648 in Books (See Top 100 in Books)

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Customer Reviews

Most Helpful Customer Reviews

12 of 13 people found the following review helpful:

5.0 out of 5 stars The James Family: Or how to Educate a Brood of Geniuses, May 31, 2000

By 

Scott Snyder (Northern California) - See all my reviews
(REAL NAME)   

This review is from: The Jameses: A Family Narrative (Hardcover)

This wonderful book tells the story of where the James family and its money came from, how Henry Sr. almost lost his inheritance for the frivolity of buying too many books, then reclaimed it and used it to raise the most remarkable intellectual family yet in American history. The book is big, which gives it enough space to delve into the tragedy of the two younger James brothers, the maturation of William and Henry Jr., and the closeted life of Alice.

I came away with a new respect for the somewhat eccentric Henry Sr., with his diverse interests in educational philosophy, Swedenborg, and Emerson. He is the under-sung hero of this narrative and its true author.

Perhaps I enjoyed the book most of all because it allowed me to feel almost a part of the family, to live what to me is a fantasy. If you feel yourself a kindred spirit to William, Henry, Jr., or Sr., or Alice, I would heartily recommend this book.

3 of 3 people found the following review helpful:

5.0 out of 5 stars I came to this biography out of a reader's love for Henry James., January 27, 2008

By 

frumiousb "frumiousb" (Amsterdam, the Netherlands) - See all my reviews
(VINE VOICE)    (TOP 500 REVIEWER)   

This review is from: Jameses, The (Paperback)

The Jameses is an impressive brick of a book with 586 pages of small type, many illustrations, and two appendices. I read in the New York Times review of the book that it took Lewis 10 years to write, and I absolutely believe that to be true. He is often clearly speaking to the James scholars, making detailed reference to earlier works and apparently contentious issues. (What was the nature of the mysterious injury? etc.) I often felt inadequate to the task of reading it, given that I am very far from being a James scholar. Although I enjoyed the book, it was sometimes a bit like a little kid being an eavesdropper on a grown-up conversation.

This is not to say that I got nothing out of the book. I learned a lot about not only the family, but the time in which they lived and worked. I was actually a little bit surprised that I had not accumulated more knowledge about them before now. One of the few periods in literature that I have actually studied with consistency and application is the American Transcendentalists. The ties that James Sr. had to Emerson and Fuller (to name a few) should have brought him across my conscious radar a little bit sooner than this.

I initially wasn't sure how I was going to like the fact that Lewis took on the whole family. I was, after all, really only interested in Henry. But after reading it, I am not sure how any of them could have been addressed separately. Part of the point that Lewis makes are the threads and patterns that run through the family history-- mysticism & spirituality, the relationship (love/hate) with Europe, the relationship to money, depression and frustration. Those patterns are much stronger seeing how they play out in the lives of all the children, rather than looking at them one at a time.

This was a literary biography, and while I loved it, the minutae may be too much for a casual reader. It has certainly inspired me to circle back and see what books of the James' canon I have missed. I realize that while I have read all of the "major" works, I have read virtually nothing from his early period or of the novellas.

Interesting, if you're interested. I would recommend it. It appears to be out of print at the moment, but rather widely available.

5.0 out of 5 stars Lovely background material, October 20, 2010

By 

mary brogan-sizemore "Tonstant Weader" - See all my reviews

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This review is from: The Jameses: A Family Narrative (Hardcover)

I found this a valuable resource as an introduction to the Jameses, mainly Henry and William. I just reread "Portrait of a Lady," finding great supporting sections very well indexed. Just enough material to support first readings of William's "Introductory Lectures" and "Varieties of Religious Experience." Cozily readable as biographical narrative. A treasure.