Edith Wharton (1862-1937) was a remarkable woman. She remains one of Americaâs greatest writers and her work shows an acute understanding of life and people. Her 1920 novel, The Age of Innocence, helps to define her literary legacy as it won the 1921 Pulitzer, but Ethan Frome (1911) and The House of Mirth (1905) are also immensely important novels in her portfolio. Her 1904 non-fiction book, Italian Villas and Their Gardens, is also well regarded and The Decoration of Houses (1897) is an important manual in the history of home decoration. Wharton described herself in a letter as being "a better landscape gardener than novelist."