My Newest Illustrated Book: The Age of Innocence by Edith Wharton

The Age of Innocence by Edith Wharton, with illustrations by Haleigh DeRocher

I am so excited to announce my newest illustrated book: The Age of Innocence by Edith Wharton.

I think I have more copies of The Age of Innocence than any other book. As Edith Wharton’s most renowned and beloved novel (winner of the Pulitzer Prize in 1921), pretty editions of The Age of Innocence are easy to come by. So why not add my own to the mix?

This novel is a true masterpiece, and it certainly deserves the prize it won.

The story is so nuanced; the characters so alive. Though written in the early 1920s, Wharton set this novel in the 1870s, seeking to capture the restraint and restrictiveness of the New York she grew up in. The novel seems to say as a cheering cry: “Look how far we’ve come!” Newland Archer is the perfect morally grey anti-hero. May Welland, the girl you pity but also hate a little bit. And Countess Olenska – beautiful, compelling, free. I don’t know any other author who can capture the human spirit the way Edith Wharton can. This book is breathtaking and heartbreaking – a slow burn, but one that will always live on with you.

This beautiful hardcover edition features original cover art and several full color illustrations on the inner pages. It is complete and unabridged. The book will be available exclusively on my website, and will open for pre-order starting on March 1st at 10am CST. All pre-ordered books will receive a free bookplate.

This book measures 6×9. A paperback, black and white edition can be purchased on Amazon.

From the back:

Old New York, 1870s: Gaslit streets, formal dances, secret scandal… In The Age of Innocence, Edith Wharton masterfully draws out the depth of hypocrisy and vacuity that marked this time in history among the American elite.

Newland Archer is comfortable conforming to conventional New York standards in marrying the beautiful yet unimaginative May Welland. But when May’s cousin, Ellen Olenska, arrives in New York in the wake of a disastrous marriage, Archer finds himself enchanted. And so begins the years-long affair of the heart, a thwarted love that seeps into every crevice of his life…

Edith Wharton was the first woman to receive the Pulitzer Prize for Fiction, which was awarded to her for The Age of Innocence in 1921. This novel certainly is an unmatched literary achievement. With a cast of characters that practically jump off the page and an evocative and compelling setting, it is a story that is not quickly forgotten.

This edition has been lovingly brought to life with original illustrations by Haleigh DeRocher. Also included in this edition are supporting materials about Edith Wharton and the books she wrote.