Rediscovering Edith Wharton’s First Book

Many fans of Edith Wharton's great novels "The Age of Innocence" and "The House of Mirth" may not realize that her very first published book was not a work of fiction at all. 

In 1897, in collaboration with architect and interior designer Ogden Codman Jr, Wharton published "The Decoration of Houses", at the time, a groundbreaking work on the philosophy of interior design calling for a return to the classic European principles of balance, symmetry and proportion. 

In fact when she built her own great country home The Mount in Lenox, Massachusetts in 1902, she incorporated many of the French, Italian and British principles she lays out in the book.

In this episode, returning guest Dr. Emily Orlando, noted Wharton scholar and author, helps us understand just what the publication of this first book meant to Wharton and the career that was to come. 

Furthermore, Dr. Orlando addresses the overriding theme of Wharton's own search for home and place that reoccurs regularly in her stories and novels.  We can then understand not only Edith Wharton's concepts for classic architectural design but at least for her - what makes a house a home.

Dr. Emily Orlando is the editor of a recently published new annotated edition of "The Decoration of Houses" available wherever books are sold.

This episode was produced and edited by Kieran Gannon 

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