A huge number of books, articles, and web pages have been published about Henry James.  Below are some of the most frequently recommended.

Bradley, John R.  ‘Henry James’s Permanent Adolescence,’ Essays in Criticism, clvii (October 1997), pp 287-314.

Widely considered to be one of the most important studies of the psyche and character of Henry James.

Bradbury, Nicola. An Annotated Critical Bibliography of Henry James.  London: St. Martins Press, 1987.

A thorough listing of everything written by Henry James.

Edel, Leon.  Henry James.  New York: J.B. Lippincott Company; 1956.

Despite his fascinating life, relatively little had been written about the personal aspects of Henry James’s life.  Until the relatively recent craze for psychoanalyzing him, this was considered to be the only decent biography of James.  It remains one of the only comprehensive biographies, and is still considered to be the standard.  It is in 6 volumes.

Gale, Robert L., ed.  A Henry James Encyclopedia.  Westport, CT: Greenwood Press; 1989.

A “Henry James Companion” of sorts: describes all the characters, settings, and other important details of all of his novels and short stories.  Very useful to have by your side for ready reference.

Gordon, Lynall.  A Private Life of Henry James: Two Women and His Art.  New York: W.W. Norton & Company; 1998.

Henry James is probably best know for his portrayal of a broad range of women and young girls.  This book offers an exploration into James’s relationship with two women in particular: his cousin, Minny Temple, and his good friend Constance Fenimore Cooper.  Both were intelligent, free-spirited women who died before their times, and this book shows the profound effect that their respective  lives and deaths had on James.

Putt, S. Gorley.  Henry James: A Reader’s Guide.  Ithaca, NY: Cornell University Press; 1966.

Offers a background and simple criticism on all of James’s novels and several of his stories.  Offers good historical background to help understand some of the nuances of the story.

Seymore, Miranda.  A Ring of Conspirators: Henry James and His Literary Circle: 1895-1915.  London: Hodder; 1988

Henry James was heavily influenced by his friends, many of whom were the leading writers of the day, and they were equally influenced by them.  This book describes the friendship (and sometimes the animosity) between a remarkable group of people

White, Allon.  The Uses of Obscurity: The Fiction of Early Modernism.  London: Routledge; 1981.

Henry James was one of the first writers of the “Modernism” movement, and profoundly influenced such later writers as James Joyce and Virginia Woolf.  This book discusses the rise of Modernist fiction.

Journals

The Henry James Review, Johns Hopkins University.

Published three times a year, this journal offers peer-reviewed essays and criticism about Henry James and his work.  There is a subscription fee, but it is possible to request a free issue.

The Henry James E-Journal, published by Richard D. Hathaway and Gert Buelens, available at http://www2.newpaltz.edu/~hathaway/ejourn4.htm.

Published rather sporadically, this e-journal offers free critical essays about the work of Henry James.  The most recent issue was published June 12, 2003.

Web Pages and Databases

Contemporary Authors Online, Gale, 2003. Reproduced in Biography Resource  Center. Farmington Hills, Mich.: The Gale Group. 2003.  http://www.galenet.com/servlet/BioRC

A thorough biography of Henry James, also offering criticism and a lengthy bibliography.

'Henry James.' Gay & Lesbian Biography. St. James Press, 1997. Reproduced in Biography Resource Center. Farmington Hills, Mich.: The Gale Group. 2003. http://www.galenet.com/servlet/BioRC.

There has been a great deal of speculation about the sexuality of Henry James, even during his lifetime.  This short biography offers the “yes he was” perspective, along with a nice bibliography of books and journal articles concentrating on the question.

Hathaway, Richard D.  “The Henry James Scholar’s Guide.”  http://www2.newpaltz.edu/~hathaway/.

A frequently-maintained and well respected web site for researchers about Henry James.  Includes links to e-texts, archives, articles, and calls for papers.

Zacharias, Greg.  “The Center for Henry James Studies.” http://mockingbird.creighton.edu/english/hjcenter.htm

The Center for Henry James at Creighton University houses The Henry James Society (sections of the Journal are available from this site), letters, and the text of the James Family Archive housed at Creighton University.

If you have any suggestions for excellent writings about Henry James and his work, please email the editor with your recomendations.