Edith Wharton wrote at the turn of the twentieth century, but her tales of individuals who compromise their best interests for the sake of acceptance by family and society are timeless. The titles collected in this literary omnibus - IThe House of Mirth/I IEthan Frome/I, IThe Custom of the Country/I, ISummer/I, and IThe Age of Innocence/I - represent the best of her novel-length fiction. p Wharton wrote with empathy for her characters, endowing them with a dignity that makes their moral dilemmas worthy of our attention. Each of these novels speaks to the reader with elegance and clarity that was her unique gift. P IEdith Wharton: Five Novels/I is part of Barnes Noble's Library of Essential Writers. Each title in the series presents the finest works - complete and unabridged - from one of the greatest writers in literature in magnificent, elegantly designed hard-back editions. Every volume also includes an original introduction that provides the reader with enlightening information on the writer's life and works.