William Makepeace Thackeray’s Followers (1,335)

William Makepeace Thackeray

Born

in Calcutta, Bengal Presidency, British India

July 18, 1811

Died

December 24, 1863

Genre

Fiction

edit data

William Makepeace Thackeray was an English novelist, satirist, and journalist, best known for his keen social commentary and his novel Vanity Fair (1847–1848). His works often explored themes of ambition, hypocrisy, and the moral failings of British society, making him one of the most significant literary figures of the Victorian era.
Born in Calcutta, British India, he was sent to England for his education after his father’s death. He attended Charterhouse School, where he developed a distaste for the rigid school system, and later enrolled at Trinity College, Cambridge. However, he left without earning a degree, instead traveling in Europe and pursuing artistic ambitions.
After losing much of his inheritance due to bad investments, Thackera William Makepeace Thackeray was an English novelist, satirist, and journalist, best known for his keen social commentary and his novel Vanity Fair (1847–1848). His works often explored themes of ambition, hypocrisy, and the moral failings of British society, making him one of the most significant literary figures of the Victorian era.
Born in Calcutta, British India, he was sent to England for his education after his father’s death. He attended Charterhouse School, where he developed a distaste for the rigid school system, and later enrolled at Trinity College, Cambridge. However, he left without earning a degree, instead traveling in Europe and pursuing artistic ambitions.
After losing much of his inheritance due to bad investments, Thackeray turned to writing for a living. He contributed satirical sketches, essays, and stories to periodicals such as Fraser’s Magazine and Punch, gradually building a reputation for his sharp wit and keen observational skills. His breakthrough came with Vanity Fair, a panoramic satire of English society that introduced the enduring character of Becky Sharp, a resourceful and amoral social climber.
Thackeray’s later novels, including Pendennis (1848–1850), The History of Henry Esmond (1852), and The Newcomes (1853–1855), continued to explore the lives of the English upper and middle classes, often focusing on the contrast between personal virtue and social ambition. His historical novel Henry Esmond was particularly praised for its detailed 18th-century setting and complex characterization.
In addition to his fiction, Thackeray was a noted public speaker and essayist, delivering lectures on the English humorists of the 18th century and on The Four Georges, a critical look at the British monarchy.
Despite his literary success, he lived with personal struggles, including the mental illness of his wife, Isabella, which deeply affected him. He remained devoted to his two daughters and was known for his kindness and generosity among his friends and colleagues.
His works remain widely read, appreciated for their incisive humor, rich characterizations, and unflinching critique of social pretensions.
...more

Combine Editions
William Makepeace Thackeray’s books

Average rating: 3.8 · 145,270 ratings · 6,304 reviews · 4,474 distinct works • Similar authors

	Vanity Fair 3.81 avg rating — 133,358 ratings — published 1847 — 1995 editions	Error rating book. Refresh and try again. Rate this book Clear rating 1 of 5 stars 2 of 5 stars 3 of 5 stars 4 of 5 stars 5 of 5 stars
	Barry Lyndon 3.62 avg rating — 2,882 ratings — published 1844 — 778 editions	Error rating book. Refresh and try again. Rate this book Clear rating 1 of 5 stars 2 of 5 stars 3 of 5 stars 4 of 5 stars 5 of 5 stars
	The Rose And the Ring 3.75 avg rating — 1,242 ratings — published 1855 — 8 editions	Error rating book. Refresh and try again. Rate this book Clear rating 1 of 5 stars 2 of 5 stars 3 of 5 stars 4 of 5 stars 5 of 5 stars
	The History of Henry Esmond, Esq. 3.60 avg rating — 1,127 ratings — published 1852 — 925 editions	Error rating book. Refresh and try again. Rate this book Clear rating 1 of 5 stars 2 of 5 stars 3 of 5 stars 4 of 5 stars 5 of 5 stars
	Bâlciul deşertăciunilor, vol.1 by William Makepeace Thackeray, Sînziana Mihalache (Translator) 3.89 avg rating — 559 ratings — published 1848 — 31 editions	Error rating book. Refresh and try again. Rate this book Clear rating 1 of 5 stars 2 of 5 stars 3 of 5 stars 4 of 5 stars 5 of 5 stars
	Vanity Fair, Part 2 by William Makepeace Thackeray, Frederick Davidson (Narrator) 3.96 avg rating — 535 ratings — 52 editions	Error rating book. Refresh and try again. Rate this book Clear rating 1 of 5 stars 2 of 5 stars 3 of 5 stars 4 of 5 stars 5 of 5 stars
	The Book of Snobs 3.40 avg rating — 541 ratings — published 1848	Error rating book. Refresh and try again. Rate this book Clear rating 1 of 5 stars 2 of 5 stars 3 of 5 stars 4 of 5 stars 5 of 5 stars
	The History of Pendennis: His Fortunes and Misfortunes, His Friends and His Greatest Enemy by William Makepeace Thackeray, Donald Hawes (editor), J.I.M. Stewart (Editor) 3.70 avg rating — 401 ratings — published 1850 — 138 editions	Error rating book. Refresh and try again. Rate this book Clear rating 1 of 5 stars 2 of 5 stars 3 of 5 stars 4 of 5 stars 5 of 5 stars
	The Newcomes 3.67 avg rating — 273 ratings — published 1855 — 247 editions	Error rating book. Refresh and try again. Rate this book Clear rating 1 of 5 stars 2 of 5 stars 3 of 5 stars 4 of 5 stars 5 of 5 stars
	The Virginians 3.39 avg rating — 115 ratings — published 1859 — 323 editions	Error rating book. Refresh and try again. Rate this book Clear rating 1 of 5 stars 2 of 5 stars 3 of 5 stars 4 of 5 stars 5 of 5 stars

More books by William Makepeace Thackeray…

Series by William Makepeace Thackeray

Vanity Fair (3 books)
by

William Makepeace Thackeray,

John Carey (Contributor)

3.81 avg rating — 134,448 ratings

Ярмарка Тщеславия (2 books)
by

William Makepeace Thackeray,

Frederick Davidson (Narrator)

3.92 avg rating — 1,093 ratings

Mainehikkaita romaaneja (1 book)
by

William Makepeace Thackeray

3.60 avg rating — 1,127 ratings

The Adventures of Philip (4 books)
by

William Makepeace Thackeray

3.64 avg rating — 28 ratings

They're the rule breakers, the troublemakers, the ones who scoff at societal conventions. While their vicious personalities and...

Polls

March 2018 Revisit the Shelf Reread

A Tale of Two Cities by Charles Dickens, 489 pages, 1859, Last Read November 2014

45 votes, 12.2%

1984 by George Orwell, 328 pages, 1949, Last Read November 2015

32 votes, 8.7%

Persuasion by Jane Austen, 256 pages, 1817, Last Read August 2015

29 votes, 7.9%

Rebecca by Daphne du Maurier, 449 pages, 1938, Last Read May 2015

28 votes, 7.6%

The Remains of the Day by Kazuo Ishiguro, 258 pages, 1989, Last Read January 2017

27 votes, 7.3%

Crime and Punishment by Fyodor Dostoyevsky, 671 pages, 1866, Last Read June 2014

25 votes, 6.8%

The Tenant of Wildfell Hall by Anne Brontë, 542 pages, 1848, Last Read April 2015

24 votes, 6.5%

Vanity Fair by William Makepeace Thackeray, 867 pages, 1847, Last Read October 2011

24 votes, 6.5%

The Picture of Dorian Gray by Oscar Wilde, 254 pages, 1890, Last Read November 2016

23 votes, 6.2%

Great Expectations by Charles Dickens, 505 pages, 1853, Last Read August 2014

20 votes, 5.4%

In Cold Blood by Truman Capote, 343 pages, 1966, Last Read November 2016

18 votes, 4.9%

All Quiet on the Western Front by Erich Maria Remarque, 296 pages, 1929, Last Read September 2015

17 votes, 4.6%

The Wonderful Wizard of Oz by L. Frank Baum, 154 pages, 1900, Last Read February 2012

14 votes, 3.8%

We Have Always Lived in the Castle by Shirley Jackson, 146 pages, 1962, Last Read September 2016

12 votes, 3.3%

The Iliad by Homer, 683 pages, -750, Last Read July 2012

11 votes, 3.0%

King Lear by William Shakespeare, 316 pages, 1603, Last Read October 2012

11 votes, 3.0%

Cranford by Elizabeth Gaskell, 251 pages, 1853, Lasr Read January 2015

9 votes, 2.4%

369 total votes

9 comments

More...

Topics Mentioning This Author

topics	posts	views	last activity
The Book Challenge: Katy's 2009 Book Challenge	6	661	Mar 23, 2009 06:33AM
The Book Challenge: Meghan's Other 2009 Challenges	11	263	Oct 31, 2009 09:58AM
The Next Best Boo...: End of the Year Summary	73	316	Dec 29, 2009 05:48PM
Challenge: 50 Books: Dini's List for 2009 - 50 and ongoing	87	420	Jan 02, 2010 07:37AM
The Life of a Boo...: Picking our July Books!	79	266	Jun 14, 2010 03:59PM
The Seasonal Read...: 25.4 - Nicole OH's Task - Happy Birthday to Me!	104	271	Jul 31, 2010 10:10AM
The Seasonal Read...: Summer Challenge 2010 Completed Tasks (do NOT delete any posts in this thread)	3022	3288	Aug 31, 2010 10:39PM
CanLit Challenge: Arcadian Adventures with the Idle Rich by Stephen Leacock, #13	1	15	Oct 31, 2010 11:52AM
Reading the Chunk...: Book Nominations	100	125	Nov 10, 2010 10:34AM

More…