Because she devoted much of her life to exploring the relationships that exist between people and their built environment, Edith Wharton developed a set of philosophies that she expressed in many arenas, including interior design, architecture, and landscaping. Her theories of space were practiced and materially executed, in addition to being expressed in her writing. br This book explores Wharton's theories of space in Newport, Rhode Island during the Gilded Age, when the town was transformed from a rustic seaport to a playground for the fabulously wealthy. The built environment played a pivotal role as social, economic and personal conflicts were enacted among private and public spaces. Through revisiting some of Wharton's lesser-know texts, such as The Decoration of Houses, as well as canonical novels like The House of Mirth, and close readings of Wharton's homes -- Pencraig Cottage, Land's End, and The Mount -- the book shows Wharton in a new light; as a cultural worker standing squarely in the middle ofthese conflicts and directly participating in them.