The Great World and Timothy Colt

by Louis Auchincloss

Like a latter-day Olympus, the large Manhattan law firm of Sheffield, Knox & Dale is so rich and influential, so full of good grey heads, that it is more like a seat of government than a place of business. To Timothy Colt, law is the very essence of America's eminence, and it is this belief that sustains him and makes him the tirelessly dedicated young lawyer that he is. Likewise, it is his wife's belief in Timothy that allows her to tolerate his grinding hours at the office and what might be regarded in another profession as neglect of his family. But as Timothy rises in the firm, he begins to see the conflict between ethics and ambition that lies at the very heart of Sheffield, Knox & Dale, and his disillusionment begins.

Paperback

First published January 1, 2009

About the author

Louis Stanton Auchincloss was an American novelist, historian, and essayist.

Among Auchincloss's best-known books are the multi-generational sagas The House of Five Talents, Portrait in Brownstone, and East Side Story. Other well-known novels include The Rector of Justin, the tale of a renowned headmaster of a school like Groton trying to deal with changing times, and The Embezzler, a look at white-collar crime. Auchincloss is known for his closely observed portraits of old New York and New England society.