Watch and Ward is a short novel by Henry James, first published in serial form in The Atlantic Monthly in 1871 and later as a book in 1878. The story follows Roger Lawrence, a young bachelor navigating his romantic feelings for Isabel Morton while grappling with his responsibilities as a guardian to the orphaned Nora. This work, notable for being James' first novel, explores themes of love, duty, and the complexities of human relationships, though James later distanced himself from it, considering Roderick Hudson his true debut.
