Old New York’s Twin Rediscovered

Abstract

Abstract Old New York (1924), Edith Wharton’s quartet of novellas, traces the history of her childhood world, decade by decade, from the 1860s through the 1890s. Neither the collection as a whole nor its component parts has attracted much attention, except for “The Old Maid,” the best of the four stories. Details about their publication may not improve the standing of Old New York in the Wharton canon, but they do place her transitioning career in the arena of the book trade.