This eBook features the unabridged text of ‘Paying Guests by E. F. Benson - Delphi Classics (Illustrated)’ from the bestselling edition of ‘The Collected Works of E. F. Benson’. Having established their name as the leading publisher of classic literature and art, Delphi Classics produce publications that are individually crafted with superior formatting, while introducing many rare texts for the first time in digital print. The Delphi Classics edition of Benson includes original annotations and illustrations relating to the life and works of the author, as well as individual tables of contents, allowing you to navigate eBooks quickly and easily. eBook features: * The complete unabridged text of ‘Paying Guests by E. F. Benson - Delphi Classics (Illustrated)’ * Beautifully illustrated with images related to Benson’s works * Individual contents table, allowing easy navigation around the eBook * Excellent formatting of the text Please visit www.delphiclassics.com to learn more about our wide range of titles

This eBook features the unabridged text of ‘Robinson Crusoe by Daniel Defoe - Delphi Classics (Illustrated)’ from the bestselling edition of ‘The Complete Works of Daniel Defoe’. Having established their name as the leading publisher of classic literature and art, Delphi Classics produce publications that are individually crafted with superior formatting, while introducing many rare texts for the first time in digital print. The Delphi Classics edition of Defoe includes original annotations and illustrations relating to the life and works of the author, as well as individual tables of contents, allowing you to navigate eBooks quickly and easily. eBook features: * The complete unabridged text of ‘Robinson Crusoe by Daniel Defoe - Delphi Classics (Illustrated)’ * Beautifully illustrated with images related to Defoe’s works * Individual contents table, allowing easy navigation around the eBook * Excellent formatting of the text Please visit www.delphiclassics.com to learn more about our wide range of titles

Master Functional Programming techniques with this comprehensive guide for writing cleaner, safer, high-performing JavaScript codes About This Book Become proficient and skilled with Functional Programming in JavaScript to solve real-world development problems Successfully apply Functional Programming concepts and techniques to everyday JavaScript programming Bring modularity, reusability, testability, and performance to your web apps Who This Book Is For If you are a JavaScript developer and want to apply functional programming techniques, then this book is for you. Only a basic knowledge of the concepts of functional programming is required for this book. What You Will Learn Create more reliable code with closures and immutable data Convert existing methods into pure functions, and loops into recursive methods Develop more powerful applications with currying and function composition Separate the logic of your system from implementation details Implement composition and chaining techniques to simplify coding Use functional programming techniques where it makes the most sense In Detail Functional programming is a programming paradigm for developing software using functions. Learning to use functional programming is a good way to write more concise code, with greater concurrency and performance. The JavaScript language is particularly suited to functional programming. This book provides comprehensive coverage of the major topics in functional programming with JavaScript to produce shorter, clearer, and testable programs. You'll delve into functional programming; including writing and testing pure functions, reducing side-effects, and other features to make your applications functional in nature. Specifically, we'll explore techniques to simplify coding, apply recursion for loopless coding, learn ways to achieve immutability, implement design patterns, and work with data types. By the end of this book, you'll have developed the JavaScript skills you need to program functional applications with confidence. Style and approach This book takes an easy-to-follow, step-by-step tutorial approach. You will make the most of JavaScript programming with a focus on the progression of functional programming techniques, styles, and detailed information about JavaScript libraries.

Learn to use scikit-learn operations and functions for Machine Learning and deep learning applications. About This Book Handle a variety of machine learning tasks effortlessly by leveraging the power of scikit-learn Perform supervised and unsupervised learning with ease, and evaluate the performance of your model Practical, easy to understand recipes aimed at helping you choose the right machine learning algorithm Who This Book Is For Data Analysts already familiar with Python but not so much with scikit-learn, who want quick solutions to the common machine learning problems will find this book to be very useful. If you are a Python programmer who wants to take a dive into the world of machine learning in a practical manner, this book will help you too. What You Will Learn Build predictive models in minutes by using scikit-learn Understand the differences and relationships between Classification and Regression, two types of Supervised Learning. Use distance metrics to predict in Clustering, a type of Unsupervised Learning Find points with similar characteristics with Nearest Neighbors. Use automation and cross-validation to find a best model and focus on it for a data product Choose among the best algorithm of many or use them together in an ensemble. Create your own estimator with the simple syntax of sklearn Explore the feed-forward neural networks available in scikit-learn In Detail Python is quickly becoming the go-to language for analysts and data scientists due to its simplicity and flexibility, and within the Python data space, scikit-learn is the unequivocal choice for machine learning. This book includes walk throughs and solutions to the common as well as the not-so-common problems in machine learning, and how scikit-learn can be leveraged to perform various machine learning tasks effectively. The second edition begins with taking you through recipes on evaluating the statistical properties of data and generates synthetic data for machine learning modelling. As you progress through the chapters, you will comes across recipes that will teach you to implement techniques like data pre-processing, linear regression, logistic regression, K-NN, Naive Bayes, classification, decision trees, Ensembles and much more. Furthermore, you'll learn to optimize your models with multi-class classification, cross validation, model evaluation and dive deeper in to implementing deep learning with scikit-learn. Along with covering the enhanced features on model section, API and new features like classifiers, regressors and estimators the book also contains recipes on evaluating and fine-tuning the performance of your model. By the end of this book, you will have explored plethora of features offered by scikit-learn for Python to solve any machine learning problem you come across. Style and Approach This book consists of practical recipes on scikit-learn that target novices as well as intermediate users. It goes deep into the technical issues, covers additional protocols, and many more real-live examples so that you are able to implement it in your daily life scenarios.

This eBook features the unabridged text of ‘The Gipsies by Alexander Pushkin - Delphi Classics (Illustrated)’ from the bestselling edition of ‘The Collected Works of Alexander Pushkin’. Having established their name as the leading publisher of classic literature and art, Delphi Classics produce publications that are individually crafted with superior formatting, while introducing many rare texts for the first time in digital print. The Delphi Classics edition of Pushkin includes original annotations and illustrations relating to the life and works of the author, as well as individual tables of contents, allowing you to navigate eBooks quickly and easily. eBook features: * The complete unabridged text of ‘The Gipsies by Alexander Pushkin - Delphi Classics (Illustrated)’ * Beautifully illustrated with images related to Pushkin’s works * Individual contents table, allowing easy navigation around the eBook * Excellent formatting of the text Please visit www.delphiclassics.com to learn more about our wide range of titles

Neural Networks and their implementation decoded with TensorFlow About This Book Develop a strong background in neural network programming from scratch, using the popular Tensorflow library. Use Tensorflow to implement different kinds of neural networks – from simple feedforward neural networks to multilayered perceptrons, CNNs, RNNs and more. A highly practical guide including real-world datasets and use-cases to simplify your understanding of neural networks and their implementation. Who This Book Is For This book is meant for developers with a statistical background who want to work with neural networks. Though we will be using TensorFlow as the underlying library for neural networks, book can be used as a generic resource to bridge the gap between the math and the implementation of deep learning. If you have some understanding of Tensorflow and Python and want to learn what happens at a level lower than the plain API syntax, this book is for you. What You Will Learn Learn Linear Algebra and mathematics behind neural network. Dive deep into Neural networks from the basic to advanced concepts like CNN, RNN Deep Belief Networks, Deep Feedforward Networks. Explore Optimization techniques for solving problems like Local minima, Global minima, Saddle points Learn through real world examples like Sentiment Analysis. Train different types of generative models and explore autoencoders. Explore TensorFlow as an example of deep learning implementation. In Detail If you're aware of the buzz surrounding the terms such as "machine learning," "artificial intelligence," or "deep learning," you might know what neural networks are. Ever wondered how they help in solving complex computational problem efficiently, or how to train efficient neural networks? This book will teach you just that. You will start by getting a quick overview of the popular TensorFlow library and how it is used to train different neural networks. You will get a thorough understanding of the fundamentals and basic math for neural networks and why TensorFlow is a popular choice Then, you will proceed to implement a simple feed forward neural network. Next you will master optimization techniques and algorithms for neural networks using TensorFlow. Further, you will learn to implement some more complex types of neural networks such as convolutional neural networks, recurrent neural networks, and Deep Belief Networks. In the course of the book, you will be working on real-world datasets to get a hands-on understanding of neural network programming. You will also get to train generative models and will learn the applications of autoencoders. By the end of this book, you will have a fair understanding of how you can leverage the power of TensorFlow to train neural networks of varying complexities, without any hassle. While you are learning about various neural network implementations you will learn the underlying mathematics and linear algebra and how they map to the appropriate TensorFlow constructs. Style and Approach This book is designed to give you just the right number of concepts to back up the examples. With real-world use cases and problems solved, this book is a handy guide for you. Each concept is backed by a generic and real-world problem, followed by a variation, making you independent and able to solve any problem with neural networks. All of the content is demystified by a simple and straightforward approach.

This eBook features the unabridged text of ‘The Wanderings of Persiles and Sigismunda by Miguel de Cervantes - Delphi Classics (Illustrated)’ from the bestselling edition of ‘The Complete Works of Miguel de Cervantes’. Having established their name as the leading publisher of classic literature and art, Delphi Classics produce publications that are individually crafted with superior formatting, while introducing many rare texts for the first time in digital print. The Delphi Classics edition of Cervantes includes original annotations and illustrations relating to the life and works of the author, as well as individual tables of contents, allowing you to navigate eBooks quickly and easily. eBook features: * The complete unabridged text of ‘The Wanderings of Persiles and Sigismunda by Miguel de Cervantes - Delphi Classics (Illustrated)’ * Beautifully illustrated with images related to Cervantes’s works * Individual contents table, allowing easy navigation around the eBook * Excellent formatting of the text Please visit www.delphiclassics.com to learn more about our wide range of titles

When her sister, Denise, seven years her senior, and her husband Alistair drowned in a storm at sea, the beautiful nineteen-year-old Pepita Linford is left alone to cope with the care of their young children, Rory and Jeanie, as well as Alistair’s huge amount of debts. Exiled from his Scottish Clan for ever by his father, the Duke of Strathnairn, because he dared to marry an Englishwoman against his wishes they then settled in Hertfordshire. Alistair had been deprived of his allowance from his father and had lived on a fast-dwindling legacy from his mother. Virtually destitute Pepita has no choice but to travel to Scotland to throw herself and the children on the mercy of the Duke of Strathnairn. But sadly His Grace, consumed with hatred for the English, is not in the slightest pleased to see them, but grudgingly agrees that they can stay at his imposing Castle for a short while. Pepita is at once aware of the hostility and dislike of the Duchess of Strathnairn, who does everything she can to make life unpleasant for her and Rory and Jeanie. Save for the children Pepita finds herself on her own in a hostile country until she finds warmth, kindness and sympathy in the handsome and charming Torquil McNairn, Alistair’s cousin. Soon that warmth becomes an all-encompassing and consuming love for both Pepita and Torquil. But surely it is a passion doomed. Pepita is determined that she must never inflict Alistair’s fate on Torquil – to be an outcast for no other reason than that he loved a ‘Sassenach’ from England!

This eBook features the unabridged text of ‘Al Aaraaf, Tamerlane and Minor Poems by Edgar Allan Poe - Delphi Classics (Illustrated)’ from the bestselling edition of ‘The Complete Works of Edgar Allan Poe’. Having established their name as the leading publisher of classic literature and art, Delphi Classics produce publications that are individually crafted with superior formatting, while introducing many rare texts for the first time in digital print. The Delphi Classics edition of Poe includes original annotations and illustrations relating to the life and works of the author, as well as individual tables of contents, allowing you to navigate eBooks quickly and easily. eBook features: * The complete unabridged text of ‘Al Aaraaf, Tamerlane and Minor Poems by Edgar Allan Poe - Delphi Classics (Illustrated)’ * Beautifully illustrated with images related to Poe’s works * Individual contents table, allowing easy navigation around the eBook * Excellent formatting of the text Please visit www.delphiclassics.com to learn more about our wide range of titles

Gilda Wyngate befindet sich nach dem Tod ihres Vaters in gro?en finanziellen Schwierigkeiten und ist v?llig verzweifelt. Zu allem Unglück erh?lt das junge M?dchen unverhofft Besuch von ihrer egoistischen und habgierigen Schwester Heloise, die ihr zum Verwechseln ?hnlich sieht. Heloise ist fest entschlossen, den begehrtesten Junggesellen Londons, den Marquis von Staverton, zu heiraten - doch bestimmt nicht aus Liebe. Diese Einstellung befremdet Gilda sehr. Doch sie ?ndert ihre Denkweise, als sie Heloise tot auffindet-gestorben an einer ?berdosis Laudanum. In ihrer bedrückenden Notlage entschlie?t sie sich, den Platz ihrer Schwester einzunehmen.

This eBook features the unabridged text of ‘The Complete Short Stories by Guy de Maupassant - Delphi Classics (Illustrated)’ from the bestselling edition of ‘The Complete Works of Guy de Maupassant’. Having established their name as the leading publisher of classic literature and art, Delphi Classics produce publications that are individually crafted with superior formatting, while introducing many rare texts for the first time in digital print. The Delphi Classics edition of Maupassant includes original annotations and illustrations relating to the life and works of the author, as well as individual tables of contents, allowing you to navigate eBooks quickly and easily. eBook features: * The complete unabridged text of ‘The Complete Short Stories by Guy de Maupassant - Delphi Classics (Illustrated)’ * Beautifully illustrated with images related to Maupassant’s works * Individual contents table, allowing easy navigation around the eBook * Excellent formatting of the text Please visit www.delphiclassics.com to learn more about our wide range of titles

This eBook features the unabridged text of ‘Felix Holt the Radical by George Eliot - Delphi Classics (Illustrated)’ from the bestselling edition of ‘The Complete Works of George Eliot’. Having established their name as the leading publisher of classic literature and art, Delphi Classics produce publications that are individually crafted with superior formatting, while introducing many rare texts for the first time in digital print. The Delphi Classics edition of Eliot includes original annotations and illustrations relating to the life and works of the author, as well as individual tables of contents, allowing you to navigate eBooks quickly and easily. eBook features: * The complete unabridged text of ‘Felix Holt the Radical by George Eliot - Delphi Classics (Illustrated)’ * Beautifully illustrated with images related to Eliot’s works * Individual contents table, allowing easy navigation around the eBook * Excellent formatting of the text Please visit www.delphiclassics.com to learn more about our wide range of titles

Dodo Collections brings you another classic from H. Rider Haggard, ‘The Ghost Kings.’ "The Zulus have a strange story of a white girl who in Dingaan's day was supposed to 'hold the spirit' of some legendary goddess of theirs who is also white. This girl, they say, was very beautiful and brave, and had great power in the land before the battle of the Blood River, which they fought with the emigrant Boers. Her title was Lady of the Zulus, or more shortly, Zoola, which means Heaven." This is her story. Sir Henry Rider Haggard was an English writer of adventure novels set in exotic locations, predominantly Africa, and the creator of the Lost World literary genre. His stories, situated at the lighter end of the scale of Victorian literature, continue to be popular and influential. He was also involved in agricultural reform and improvement in the British Empire. His breakout novel was King Solomon's Mines (1885), which was to be the first in a series telling of the multitudinous adventures of its protagonist, Allan Quatermain. Haggard was made a Knight Bachelor in 1912 and a Knight Commander of the Order of the British Empire in 1919. He stood unsuccessfully for Parliament as a Conservative candidate for the Eastern division of Norfolk in 1895. The locality of Rider, British Columbia, was named in his memory.

The beautiful but innocent Paolina Mansfield almost loses her life when the ship that she is a passenger on is tragically wrecked in a storm off the coast of Italy. All aboard, including her father were lost, except just for herself and her handsome rescuer, Sir Harvey Drake, who is a descendant of the famous Sir Francis Drake himself. Already reduced to the point of penury by her father’s addiction to endless gambling, Paolina now has nothing left in her life and no family or friends to come to her aid. But Sir Harvey, by his own admission a ‘gentleman adventurer’, devises a grand plan for her that would save them both, as he also has many financial problems of own in Endland. As Paolina is so beautiful and captivating, he intends to marry her off to a wealthy suitor in Italy and share the resulting riches with her.? Presented to the highest echelons of Venice Society as his sister, Paolina’s demure beauty instantly bewitches some of Venice’s most illustrious and eligible gentlemen and she is overwhelmed by amorous approaches especially from the sinister and extremely rich Duke of Ferrara. Yet she is deeply unhappy. Because it seems that Paolina is condemned to marry someone she does not and cannot love and she has already lost her heart to her swashbuckling but penniless saviour.

Dodo Collections brings you another classic from Henry James, ‘Hawthorne’. ? Hawthorne is a book of literary criticism by Henry James published in 1879. The book was an insightful study of James' great predecessor, Nathaniel Hawthorne. James gave extended consideration to each of Hawthorne's novels and a selection of his short stories. He also reviewed Hawthorne's life and some of his nonfiction. The book became somewhat controversial for a famous section where James enumerated the items of novelistic interest he thought were absent from American life. ? Henry James, OM (15 April 1843 – 28 February 1916) was an American writer who spent most of his writing career in Britain. He is regarded as one of the key figures of 19th-century literary realism. He was the son of Henry James, Sr. and the brother of philosopher and psychologist William James and diarist Alice James. ? He is best known for a number of novels showing Americans encountering Europe and Europeans. His method of writing from a character's point of view allowed him to explore issues related to consciousness and perception, and his style in later works has been compared to impressionist painting. His imaginative use of point of view, interior monologue and unreliable narrators brought a new depth to narrative fiction. ? James contributed significantly to literary criticism, particularly in his insistence that writers be allowed the greatest possible freedom in presenting their view of the world. James claimed that a text must first and foremost be realistic and contain a representation of life that is recognizable to its readers. Good novels, to James, show life in action and are, most importantly, interesting. In addition to his voluminous works of fiction he published articles and books of travel, biography, autobiography, and criticism, and wrote plays. James alternated between America and Europe for the first twenty years of his life; eventually he settled in England, becoming a British subject in 1915, one year before his death. James was nominated for the Nobel Prize in Literature in 1911, 1912, and 1916.

Dodo Collections brings you another classic from Henry James, ‘In the Cage’. ? This long story centers on an unnamed London telegrapher. She deciphers clues to her clients' personal lives from the often cryptic telegrams they submit to her as she sits in the "cage" at the post office. Sensitive and intelligent, the telegrapher eventually finds out more than she may want to know. Henry James, OM (15 April 1843 – 28 February 1916) was an American writer who spent most of his writing career in Britain. He is regarded as one of the key figures of 19th-century literary realism. He was the son of Henry James, Sr. and the brother of philosopher and psychologist William James and diarist Alice James. ? He is best known for a number of novels showing Americans encountering Europe and Europeans. His method of writing from a character's point of view allowed him to explore issues related to consciousness and perception, and his style in later works has been compared to impressionist painting. His imaginative use of point of view, interior monologue and unreliable narrators brought a new depth to narrative fiction. ? James contributed significantly to literary criticism, particularly in his insistence that writers be allowed the greatest possible freedom in presenting their view of the world. James claimed that a text must first and foremost be realistic and contain a representation of life that is recognizable to its readers. Good novels, to James, show life in action and are, most importantly, interesting. In addition to his voluminous works of fiction he published articles and books of travel, biography, autobiography, and criticism, and wrote plays. James alternated between America and Europe for the first twenty years of his life; eventually he settled in England, becoming a British subject in 1915, one year before his death. James was nominated for the Nobel Prize in Literature in 1911, 1912, and 1916.

Young Lady Lettice Burne is outstandingly beautiful with fair hair like sunshine and a flawless pink-and-white complexion. Yet her father, the Earl of Alderburne, desperate to find a wealthy suitor for her to pay off his mountain of accumulated debts, is resigned to the fact that she is immature and empty-headed and therefore unlikely to make the brilliant marriage that he had envisaged for her. So, when the handsome, dashing and rich Maximus Kirby expresses interest in her hand, the Earl is eager to send her to join him in Singapore. Maximus Kirby has been hugely successful in the Far East in trading and has started many profitable businesses that have brought unexpected prosperity to many poor communities. Lettice cannot possibly go to him in Singapore alone. So her sister Lady Dorinda goes, posing as her companion – albeit reluctantly, knowing that she is assuming her usual guise of ‘ugly sister’ thanks to the disfiguring eczema on her face and body that she has suffered from since childhood. To Dorinda’s delight and astonishment the tropical climate miraculously cures her skin complaint and now everybody can see that she is every bit as beautiful as Lettice, including Maximus Kirby. Once in Singapore Dorinda and Lettice face great dangers which Maximus Kirby and Dorinda have to defeat and Lettice becomes more and more determined that she will not marry Maximus Kirby. And will Lady Dorinda finally find the love and the ‘Magnificent Marriage’ that her disease has always denied her?

Uno de los más apuestos y codiciados solteros de Londres, lord Melsonby se encuentra inesperadamente, atrapado en el problema de la hermosa fugitiva, Perlita Lyford, heredera de una fortuna inmensa, huérfana de madre y pierde por último, ?su progenitor, que la deja al cuidado? de una? prima hermana suya, lady Whitton. Lo que su padre no sabía, es que ella se había casado con sir Gerbold, un hombre mucho más joven que ella, y cuando lady Whitton, se murió… él vio la oportunidad de echar mano a su fortuna y de autoproclamarse su tutor. Es este hombreperverso y cruel, que Perlita huye, que solamente quiere casarse con ella, para quedarse con su dinero. Perlita, desesperada e infeliz con el destino que le esperaba, en uno de sus usuales viajes, consiguió escaparse del faetón y llegar a una modesta posada llamada La Cabeza del Rey y enseguida encuentra a lord Melsonby y le pide ayuda. Ahí, empieza un enredo fascinante, entre él y la misteriosa dama, donde se ven mezclados en una romántica aventura, ?que los conduce desde la resplandeciente sociedad victoriana, hasta una peligrosa intriga en Marruecos. Esta es una más, de las muchas obras magistrales, de la más famosa autora moderna del romanticismo, Barbara Cartland .

Dodo Classics brings you another classic from Henry James, ‘The American’. ? The novel is an uneasy combination of social comedy and melodrama concerning the adventures and misadventures of Christopher Newman, an essentially good-hearted but rather gauche American businessman on his first tour of Europe. Newman is looking for a world different from the simple, harsh realities of 19th-century American business. He encounters both the beauty and the ugliness of Europe, and learns not to take either for granted. The core of the novel concerns Newman's courtship of a young widow from an aristocratic Parisian family. Henry James, OM (15 April 1843 – 28 February 1916) was an American writer who spent most of his writing career in Britain. He is regarded as one of the key figures of 19th-century literary realism. He was the son of Henry James, Sr. and the brother of philosopher and psychologist William James and diarist Alice James. ? He is best known for a number of novels showing Americans encountering Europe and Europeans. His method of writing from a character's point of view allowed him to explore issues related to consciousness and perception, and his style in later works has been compared to impressionist painting. His imaginative use of point of view, interior monologue and unreliable narrators brought a new depth to narrative fiction. ? James contributed significantly to literary criticism, particularly in his insistence that writers be allowed the greatest possible freedom in presenting their view of the world. James claimed that a text must first and foremost be realistic and contain a representation of life that is recognizable to its readers. Good novels, to James, show life in action and are, most importantly, interesting. In addition to his voluminous works of fiction he published articles and books of travel, biography, autobiography, and criticism, and wrote plays. James alternated between America and Europe for the first twenty years of his life; eventually he settled in England, becoming a British subject in 1915, one year before his death. James was nominated for the Nobel Prize in Literature in 1911, 1912, and 1916.

Lord Heywood regresa de las Guerras Napoleónicas para descubrir que ha heredado un patrimonio, pero no dinero. Cuando visita la propiedad, encuentra a una bella joven viviendo allí, huyendo de su hogar. Mientras está allí, está decidida a ayudarlo a encontrar un artículo valioso, que no forme parte de la propiedad para vender, ?pero por el camino, también encuentran el amor!? Instintivamente, Lord Heywood la apretó en sus brazos y la atrajo aún más cerca, y al hacerlo, se dio cuenta de que la amaba perdidamente. Cuando Miriam levantó la cara para hacer una pregunta, un rayo de luz hizo que Lord Heywood viera sus ojos asustados, su cara muy pálida y sus labios separados. Ella lo necesitaba. Nuestra heroína había estado viviendo en las habitaciones de su difunta madre y estaba decidida a descubrir quién era y por qué había vivido en una casa vacía.? A ella le gustaba el color turqués de la ropa de la cama y cuando de repente ve a lord Heywood, se queda mirándolo con recelo a su héroe. Estaba atrapada por el amor de su vida.? Una historia de intensa pasión y de incertidumbre, donde el amor al fin, siempre vence…???????????????????????

Dodo Classics brings you another classic from Henry James, ‘Washington Square’. ? Washington Square is a short novel by Henry James. Originally published in 1880 as a serial in Cornhill Magazine and Harper's New Monthly Magazine, it is a structurally simple tragicomedy that recounts the conflict between a dull but sweet daughter and her brilliant, unemotional father. The plot of the novel is based upon a true story told to James by his close friend, British actress Fanny Kemble. The book is often compared with Jane Austen's work for the clarity and grace of its prose and its intense focus on family relationships. James was hardly a great admirer of Jane Austen, so he might not have regarded the comparison as flattering. In fact, James was not a great fan of Washington Square itself. He tried to read it over for inclusion in the New York Edition of his fiction (1907–1909) but found that he could not, and the novel was not included. Other readers, though, have sufficiently enjoyed the book to make it one of the more popular works of the Jamesian canon. Henry James, OM (15 April 1843 – 28 February 1916) was an American writer who spent most of his writing career in Britain. He is regarded as one of the key figures of 19th-century literary realism. He was the son of Henry James, Sr. and the brother of philosopher and psychologist William James and diarist Alice James. ? He is best known for a number of novels showing Americans encountering Europe and Europeans. His method of writing from a character's point of view allowed him to explore issues related to consciousness and perception, and his style in later works has been compared to impressionist painting. His imaginative use of point of view, interior monologue and unreliable narrators brought a new depth to narrative fiction. ? James contributed significantly to literary criticism, particularly in his insistence that writers be allowed the greatest possible freedom in presenting their view of the world. James claimed that a text must first and foremost be realistic and contain a representation of life that is recognizable to its readers. Good novels, to James, show life in action and are, most importantly, interesting. In addition to his voluminous works of fiction he published articles and books of travel, biography, autobiography, and criticism, and wrote plays. James alternated between America and Europe for the first twenty years of his life; eventually he settled in England, becoming a British subject in 1915, one year before his death. James was nominated for the Nobel Prize in Literature in 1911, 1912, and 1916.