even today, edith warton occupies a place as one of america's leading ladies. she was born into the upper crust of new york in the 1,800s. a member of high society exposed through the prism of her pen. warton wrote more than 40 books in 40 years including "ethan fromme" and "age of innocence." she won a pulitzer prize and she is remembered for her home abound and if a home can serve as an auto biography, the mount is it. sitting on a hill in lennox, massachusetts, the mount was conceived by the writer from the ground up. she dreamed its location, guided its aesthetic principles and designed her elaborate gardens. it was in a sense her own house of myrr which she lived in here. >> this house was an opportunity for her to do things the way they ought to be done. that was to champion a return of classicism, symmetry, balance, proportion. lots of light and opening up spaces and to make them livable. >> reporter: warton denied her home practically. no space went unused. it was large but not grand. and it favored her predeliction for privacy. a writer staged in her li