Edith Wharton was born in New York City on January 24, 1862. Edith married Teddy Wharton, who was 12 years older. They lived a life of relative ease with homes in New York, Rhode Island, and Massachusetts. Edith became a prolific writer and produced over 40 books in 40 years. Edith divorced Teddy in 1912, having no immediate heirs, and never married again. She was the first woman awarded the Pulitzer Prize for Fiction, an honorary Doctorate of Letters from Yale University, and a full membership in the American Academy of Arts and Letters. Her novels became so popular that Ms. Wharton was able to live comfortably on her earnings the rest of her life. Edith continued to write until a stroke took her life in August 1937.
A reissue in an edition uniform with others recently republished, this has an introduction by Louis Auchincloss. The Reef, which first appeared in 1912, was the only Jamesian novel Edith Wharton wrote (although others were allegedly believed to have been attempted) and while not as well known as some of her other works, has always been held in high critical regard. (Kirkus Reviews)