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

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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.
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Combine Editions
William Makepeace Thackeray’s books

Average rating: 3.8 · 145,277 ratings · 6,305 reviews · 4,474 distinct works • Similar authors

	Vanity Fair 3.81 avg rating — 133,362 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 — 2,884 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 — 560 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 — 134,456 ratings

Ярмарка Тщеславия (2 books)
by

William Makepeace Thackeray,

Frederick Davidson (Narrator)

3.93 avg rating — 1,094 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

2nd Quarter 2018 (April-June) Long Read Poll

David Copperfield by Charles Dickens, 1849, 882 pages

62 votes, 15.7%

Vanity Fair by William Makepeace Thackeray, 1847, 867 pages

61 votes, 15.5%

The Arabian Nights, 800, 1049 pages

42 votes, 10.7%

Roots: The Saga of an American Family by Alex Haley, 1976, 729 pages

35 votes, 8.9%

The Tale of Genji by Murasaki Shikibu, 1008, 1182 pages

29 votes, 7.4%

Wives and Daughters by Elizabeth Gaskell, 1866, 679 pages

27 votes, 6.9%

The Thorn Birds by Colleen McCullough, 1977, 692 pages

23 votes, 5.8%

Infinite Jest by David Foster Wallace, 1996, 1088 pages

22 votes, 5.6%

Buddenbrooks: The Decline of a Family by Thomas Mann, 1901, 731 pages

20 votes, 5.1%

The Decameron by Giovanni Boccaccio, 1353, 909 pages

20 votes, 5.1%

The Golden Notebook by Doris Lessing, 1962, 640 pages

15 votes, 3.8%

An American Tragedy by Theodore Dreiser, 1925, 859 pages

11 votes, 2.8%

The Histories by Herodotus, 400 BCE, 716 pages

9 votes, 2.3%

Daniel Deronda by George Eliot, 1865, 796 pages

6 votes, 1.5%

The Golden Bough by James George Frazer, 1890, 880 pages

5 votes, 1.3%

The Sunne in Splendour by Sharon Kay Penman, 1982, 936 pages

4 votes, 1.0%

Five Smooth Stones by Ann Fairbairn, 1966, 933 pages

3 votes, 0.8%

394 total votes

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