
A Hazard of New Fortunes
William Dean Howells(Author)
Penguin Books Ltd (Publisher)
Published on 1. December 2001
Book
Paperback/Softback
480 pages
978-0-14-043923-6 (ISBN)
Description
Set against a vividly depicted background of fin de siecle New York, this novel centers on the conflict between a self-made millionaire and a fervent social revolutionary-a conflict in which a man of goodwill futilely attempts to act as a mediator, only to be forced himself into a crisis of conscience. Here we see William Dean Howells's grasp of the realities of the American experience in an age of emerging social struggle. His absolute determination to fairly represent every point of view is evident throughout this multifaceted work. Both a memorable portrait of an era and a profoundly moving study of human relationships, A Hazard of New Fortunes fully justifies Alfred Kazin's ranking of Howells as "the first great domestic novelist of American life."
For more than seventy years, Penguin has been the leading publisher of classic literature in the English-speaking world. With more than 1,700 titles, Penguin Classics represents a global bookshelf of the best works throughout history and across genres and disciplines. Readers trust the series to provide authoritative texts enhanced by introductions and notes by distinguished scholars and contemporary authors, as well as up-to-date translations by award-winning translators.
For more than seventy years, Penguin has been the leading publisher of classic literature in the English-speaking world. With more than 1,700 titles, Penguin Classics represents a global bookshelf of the best works throughout history and across genres and disciplines. Readers trust the series to provide authoritative texts enhanced by introductions and notes by distinguished scholars and contemporary authors, as well as up-to-date translations by award-winning translators.
Reviews / Votes
"No one before Howells had thought to capture the teeming, heterogeneous, multifarious, high-tension city on a single great canvas. Against the variegated backdrop of New York City, Howells dramatizes the intellectual and spiritual conflicts of the democratic future." -Arthur Schlesinger Jr."The exactest and truest portrayal of New York and New York life ever written." -Mark Twain"Simply prodigious."-Henry James
More details
Language
English
Place of publication
London
United Kingdom
Product notice
Paperback (trade)
Dimensions
Height: 197 mm
Width: 129 mm
Thickness: 26 mm
Weight
505 gr
ISBN-13
978-0-14-043923-6 (9780140439236)
Copyright in bibliographic data and cover images is held by Nielsen Book Services Limited or by the publishers or by their respective licensors: all rights reserved.
Schweitzer Classification
Other editions
Additional editions

William Dean Howells
A Hazard of New Fortunes
E-Book
12/2001
Penguin Classics
€8.99
Available for download
Previous edition
Benjamin DeMott | William Howells
The Hazard of New Fortunes
Book
07/1991
Plume Books
Unfortunately, price unknown
Article exhausted; check for reprint
Persons
William Dean Howells (1837-1920) began writing poetry while on the staff of the Ohio State Journal. This was published in Atantic Monthly, which he later edited. He went on to write a biography of Lincoln, and established himself as a prominent literary critic and a successful novelist. Phillip Lopate holds the Adams Chair at Hofstra University, where he is Professor of English. He is the author of several essay collections and two volumes of poetry.