Surrounded by the artists, writers and musicians who made up her court in Boston as they did in Venice, Isabella Stewart Gardner, a passionate art collector, was as revered and sought after as royalty. Henry James was inspired by the rich and powerful Gardner, as well as by the Palazzo Barbaro in Venice, when he wrote his novel The Wings of the Dove. Gardner was to recreate a larger-than-life version of Palazzo Barbaro in Boston, which is now the Isabella Stewart Gardner Museum. These dazzling letters bring to life James's passion for Venice and the Palazzo Barbaro, and serve as an introduction to the fascinating world of Isabella Stewart Gardner herself.

"James is one of the most satisfying of all letter-writers because of the endlessly surprising plasticity with which he handles the language of even his most trifling communications" - Spectator

"One of the greatest fiction and travel writers in the language. He was also one of the most entertaining-and prolific-correspondents." - Sunday Times

"The critical faculty hesitates before the magnitude of Mr Henry James's work. His books stand on my shelves in a place whose accessibility proclaims the habit of frequent communion" - Henry James: An Appreciation'