Howards End is the novel that earned E. M. Forster his reputation as a major writer. At its core are two families: the wealthy and business-minded Wilcoxes, and the cultured and idealistic Schlegels. When the beautiful and independent Helen Schlegel begins a reckless affair with the passionate Paul Wilcox, a series of events are sparked, some funny, some tragic, that result in a dispute over who will inherit Howards End, the Wilcoxes' picturesque country home. As much about the clash between individual wills as the clash between the sexes and the classes, Howards End is a novel whose central tenet, "Only connect," remains a powerful prescription for modern life.

E.M. FORSTER (1879-1970) was an English novelist, short-story writer, essayist, and librettist. He is best known for Maurice, A Passage To India, Howard’s End, and A Room With A View. The Modern Library has listed Howard’s End as one of the 100 best English-language novels of the 20th century.

"Howards End is undoubtedly Forster's masterpiece; superb and wholly cherishable, one that admirers have no trouble reading over and over again."

 —Alfred Kazin.