Karl Whitney: Opening a world to books that beg to be unearthed

When I read about people ‘discovering’ and republishing ‘lost classics’, I often think: Well, they were in print once

Colm Toibín’s introduction for the new edition of Henry James’ ‘Washington Square’ perfectly set the scene what is to come without overstaying its welcome.

In Colm Tóibín’s introduction to a beautiful new edition of Henry James’ Washington Square (published in April by Manderley Press), he sketches the lost New York of the author’s childhood over a few paragraphs, outlines the relationship between that world and the book you’re about to read over a few paragraphs — and then it’s over. It’s a sharp introduction that doesn’t outstay its welcome.

I asked Rebeka Russell of Manderley Press, who commissioned Tóibín, what she looks for in an introduction.