As an American author who chose to live in Europe, Henry James frequently wrote about cultural differences between the Old and New World. The plight of bewildered Americans adrift on a sea of European sophistication became a regular theme in his fiction. This collection of twenty-four papers from some of the world's leading James scholars offers a comprehensive picture of the author's crosscultural aesthetics. It provides detailed analyses of James's perception of Europe - of its people and places, its history and culture, its artists and thinkers, its aesthetics and its ethics - which ultimately lead to a profound reevaluation of his writing. With in-depth analysis of his works of fiction, his autobiographical and personal writings, and his critical works, the collection is a major contribution to current thinking about James, transtextuality and cultural appropriation.