The Rise of Silas Lapham

He did not rise from the desk at which he was writing but he gave Bartley his left hand for welcome and he rolled his large head in the direction of a vacant chair.

Library Journal

Howells's 1884 novel pits new money against old, as commoner Lapham attempts to infiltrate Boston's upper crust after making his fortune. Set in Trinidad before the end of slavery, Wilkins's tale offers a more serious clash. Laurine, a mixed-race freed slave, endeavors to free her mother and escape with her runaway lover. It was released in 1854. Copyright 2006 Reed Business Information.