Literary History Today Feb 28: Henry James dies in London

Henry James dies in London at the age of 72 on this day in 1916 after suffering a stroke two months earlier. As a young boy, James was tutored by governesses and shuttled back and forth between Europe and America. He went to Harvard Law School and was set to be a “man of letters” writing criticisms and essays. But today, James is most well-known as a novelist and with […]

 

 
 
 

The Biltmore Estate and the Downton Abbey connection

ASHEVILLE, NORTH CAROLINA — There’s something familiar about the largest private residence in the United States. Not that it looks like any house I’ve ever been inside nor even the grandest hotel I’ve ever stayed in on my travels (or ducked into to find a public washroom while pretending I was a guest). It was the Downton Abbey connection. Watching Downton Abbey before my arrival in Asheville, North Carolina where George […]

 

Today in Literary History Jan. 24: Edith Wharton born in NYC

It’s the sesquicentennial of the birth of Edith Wharton today. Born, as all the biographical info say, into an aristocratic New York family, Edith Newbold Jones lived in a refined and elegant world.

 

Downton Abbey. Why reading is better than watching

The only thing that could make the very good Downton Abbey great would be to read about it.