The Ambassadors by Henry James

There’s something special about a book an author considers his own masterpiece. The Ambassadors was exactly that for Henry James—the novel he loved best of all he wrote. And now, nestled in a beautiful Modern Library edition, it comes with a thoughtful new Introduction by the acclaimed novelist Colm Tóibín.

The story follows Lewis Lambert Strether, a middle-aged widower sent on a mission across the Atlantic. His task? To coax his fiancée’s wayward son away from the seductive pleasures of Paris and back home to America. But the City of Light has a way of changing a person. What begins as a simple errand becomes a quiet, dawning awakening—a man rediscovering life just as he thought it had passed him by.

This is James at his finest. A darkly comic, keenly observed novel brimming with fin de siècle detail and unforgettable characters, including the beguiling Madame de Vionnet, one of literature’s most memorable heroines.

And who better to guide you into this world than Colm Tóibín? His own award-winning novel, The Master, imagined the inner life of Henry James himself. His Introduction here adds warmth, context, and a fellow novelist’s deep admiration.

This is a book to linger over. To read slowly on a rainy afternoon, the sea air drifting in, a cup of tea close at hand. Pour yourself one, settle into a comfortable chair, and let the pages carry you to turn-of-the-century Paris.

A true classic, ready for discovery. We’d love to help you make it yours.

Additional information