Leon Edel has come to be recognized as the prime authority on the life of Henry James. And at a time when James has been made the subject of so many appreciative but highly theoretical essays, we have been waiting on Mr. Edel to give us … an authentic and definitive biography. Now, with the first volume of this long-expected work ["Henry James: The Untried Years, 1843–1870"], we can see that Mr. Edel has been aiming not only to get at all the facts, but to enter so deeply into the spirit of his subject that his book would have the ease and naturalness and shape of a work of art. And in this he has succeeded—brilliantly and movingly. One can criticise him for being almost too sympathetic with Henry, and he does tend to see the other Jameses entirely too much through Henry's eyes. But a few criticisms...