Edith Wharton drew upon her wide circle of acquaintances to produce this collection of pieces to raise money for her wartime charities. With an Introduction by Teddy Roosevelt, The Book of the Homeless contains work by Sarah Bernhardt, Jean Cocteau, Joseph Conrad, Henry James, Pierre-Auguste Renoir, Igor Stravinsky, William Butler Yeats, and many more including Wharton herself. Wharton also translated all but one of the French pieces.
As a fund-raiser, it was disappointing for Wharton. Originally planned to be published in time for Christmas 1915, it was not ready until January. Costing $7,500 to make, there was only $1,500 in profit from book sales. However, after auctioning off the original pieces in New York City, about $9,500 was raised for her charities.
Published in January 1916