Louis Auchincloss

A new edition of a novel originally published in 1964 traces the fictional life of Dr. Francis Prescott, the single-minded founder and head of a New England prep school, in a story told from multiple points of view. Reprint.

The Rector of Justin

An elegant, fictive portrait of the glittering court at Versailles under the powerful monarchy of Louis XIV evokes the complex intrigues, both amorous and political, of his legendary courtiers

The Cat and the King

Follows the life and loves of Clara Hoyt from the 1930s to the 1950s, as she makes use of her charm and determination to chart her way from the haunts of New York's wealthy aristocracy to the boardrooms of the publishing world.

Her Infinite Variety

Collected Stories of Louis Auchincloss

In a charming collection of elegant essays, one of the twentieth century's leading men of letters turns his vast knowledge and worldly authority to the texts of two seventeenth-century French dramatists. Louis Auchincloss considers sixteen plays by Pierre Corneille (1606-84) and his younger theatrical rival, Jean Racine (1639-99). Musing on the ideas that informed the court of the Sun King and on what classical allusions meant to them, Auchincloss offers thoughtful readings, new translations, and a wealth of shrewd observations about French classic tragedy, passion, self-sacrifice, self-aggrandizement, and civic and military glory. Auchincloss lets the grand voices of Corneille's and Racine's heroes and heroines speak, while calling attention to details and discoveries that illumine aspects of both seventeenth-century and twentieth-century culture. He specifically considers the theme of gloire - the lofty destiny or mission that the hero (and more rarely the heroine) has set for himself and for which he would willingly sacrifice the most passionate romance, closest friendship, or dearest family ties. While gloire is more commonly associated with Corneille than with Racine, Auchincloss demonstrates that these French masters were capable of swapping predilections when it came to the Roman plays.

The Roman Empire of Corneille and Racine

La Gloire

The story of the rise of a New York family, the Carnochans, from their early arrival in America from Scotland to their rise to prominence and wealth, recounts the lives and fortunes of diverse members of the family across generations.

A Novel

East Side Story

The author of False Gods and winner of the National Medal of Arts offers eight stories looking into the lives of the wealthy—but troubled—elite. Set in various decades throughout twentieth century, this entertaining short story collection reveals the inner lives of America's upper classes in the polished, elegant prose that is Louis Auchincloss's signature. The intricate balance of power in a marriage, the artist's hunger for inspiration, the responsibilities of privileged youth on the eve of war—Auchincloss casts a knowing yet sympathetic eye on such dilemmas as they play themselves out in the salons, clubs, boarding schools, Park Avenue drawing rooms, and summer hideaways of the moneyed classes. In "The Man of Good Will," an aging Seth Middletown finds himself unable to save a beloved grandson torn apart by the sixties — a boy carefully protected from a family secret. Dick and Joyce Emmons, in "The Lotos Eaters," are surprised to find their new marriage subtly undermined by their own enchanted existence on a paradisal Florida island. A theatrical grande dame and an admiring young actor are "Priestess and Acolyte" —until they realize that the passions that rule them are irreconcilable. Evident on every page of the eight stories contained here are Auchincloss's superb ear for dialogue and his ability to suggest what lies beneath the surface of human relationships. Tales of Yesteryear will give Auchincloss's loyal readers cause to rejoice, and newcomers a delightful introduction to one of America's most distinguished authors. Praise for Tales of Yesteryear "His word is as graceful and insightful as it's ever been. These eight stories, with their familiar social types and elegant settings, are vintage Auchincloss: moral tales that resonate with the history of our times, albeit from the top down . . . . Auchincloss belongs among the masters of American short fiction, as this volume demonstrates." — Kirkus Reviews "Auchincloss's keen social observation, pitch-perfect dialogue and gift for dramatic confrontation are as effective as ever." — Publishers Weekly

Tales of Yesteryear

This novel opens to readers the fascinating world of a large Manhattan law firm as the story follows the battle between ambition and ethics within a dedicated young lawyer.

The Great World and Timothy Colt

Ellen Glasgow - American Writers 33 was first published in 1964. Minnesota Archive Editions uses digital technology to make long-unavailable books once again accessible, and are published unaltered from the original University of Minnesota Press editions.

Ellen Glasgow

Florence Adele Sloane

The Diary of a Romantic Age

Maverick in Mauve

Tales of Two Generations

Second Chance

An “entertaining and occasionally even moving” personal recollection by the lawyer, historian, and renowned chronicler of old-money WASP society (The Boston Globe). At the time of his death, Louis Auchincloss—enemy of bores, self-pity, and stale gossip—had just finished taking on a subject he had long avoided: himself. His memoir confirms that, despite the spark of his fiction, Auchincloss himself was the most entertaining character he ever created. No traitor to his class, but occasionally its critic, Auchincloss returns to his insular society, which he maintains was less interesting than its members admitted—and unfurls his life with dignity, summoning family (particularly his father, who suffered from depression and forgave him for hating sports) and intimates. Brooke Astor and her circle are here, along with glimpses of Jacqueline Onassis. Most memorable, though, is Auchincloss’s way with those outside the salon: the cranky maid; the maiden aunt, perpetually out of place; the less-than-well-born boy who threw himself from a window over a woman and a man. Above all, here is what it was like to be Auchincloss, an American master, a New York Times–bestselling novelist, and a rare, generous, lively spirit to the end. “[Auchincloss] concentrates on bringing back to life—literary alchemy, after all—the people who loved him: his mother, father, aunts, uncles, school friends and colleagues. He understands how lucky he was to have them, and ‘A Voice From Old New York’ is his thank-you note.” —The New York Times

A Memoir of My Youth

A Voice from Old New York

A Writer's Capital

The inner history of a New York family whose wealth comes from the brokerage business, and the emergence of a gentle, likable matriarch.

Portrait in Brownstone

An aspiring politician finds his family life and career threatened when his investments in the stock market are linked with organized crime

I Come as a Thief

Young Abigail Hill, an impoverished cousin of Sarah Churchill who becomes a maid to Queen Anne, is called upon to prevent a bloody war between the Duke of Marlborough and Louis XIV

Exit Lady Masham

Follows the life and loves of the beguiling and mischievous Clara Hoyt from the 1930s to the 1950s, as she makes her use of her legendary allure, charm, and determination to chart her way from the glittering and exclusive haunts of New York's wealthy aristocracy to the boardrooms of the publishing world. Reprint.

"Her Infinite Variety" spins the rollicking tale of the devilish yet wholly beguiling Clara Hoyt through the tumultuous, heady times of the 1930s, 1940s and 1950s. From the time she enthralls the first of her husbands, Clara charts a wildly entertaining course to the inner sanctum of New York's aristocracy and to the boardrooms of the publishing world.

Deborah Turbeville

The intense fascination with the golden age of Newport, Rhode Island, where the wealthy families of turn-of-the-century America built enormous mansions and socialized for the summer, has never been stronger. In this evocative new book, a distinguished writer and a renowned photographer collaborate to give us a unique vision of that gilded past. Deborah Turbeville's stunning photographs convey the glory and the mystery of some of the great estates, inside and out. Adding an historical angle, Louis Auchincloss gives keen and witty observations of society, its leaders and architects, and social customs of the period.

Louis Auchincloss

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