Emily Bronte carved this novel out of her own turbulent imagination. It is the story of Heathcliff, a foundling boy, twisted by cruel treatment into a harsh, brutal man, vulnerable only to his childhood companion, the wild and beautiful Cathy Earnshaw. Against the moorlands, Heathcliff and the willful Cathy live their lives with a passion that casts a shadow on all. Here again is all the ardor of these strange kindred spirits, all the fateful ironies leading to Cathy's death and to Heathcliff's self-destructive vengeance. Finally, too, there is warmth and joy as Heathcliff's nephew and Cathy's daughter build a happiness their ancestors were denied.

From the dust jacket of 1963 Macmillan Classics edition with foreword by Clifton Fadiman