Barnes & Noble Digital Library

James’ plays The Album and The Reprobate were never produced, so he published them in book form in 1895 as the second volume of his Theatricals (1894-5). The Album, which turns on the inheritance of a country house outside London, includes an heir, a long-missing potential rival, and three women of varying desires and ambitions. In The Reprobate, a stranger from Paris appears at a Hampton Court villa, and her appearance upsets the household and the secrets of the life lived there. James also provides a lengthy preface discussing his writings for the stage and his travails in the theater.