VANITY FAIR

William Makepeace Thackeray (18111863) was born and educated to be a gentleman but gambled away much of his fortune while at Cambridge. He trained as a lawyer before turning to journalism. He was a regular contributor to periodicals and magazines and Vanity Fair was serialised in Punch in 18478.John Carey is Professor of English at Oxford University. He has written on Dickens and Thackeray.Part of Penguins beautiful hardback Clothbound Classics series designed by the awardwinning Coralie BickfordSmith these delectable and collectible editions are bound in highquality colourful tactile cloth with foil stamped into the designIn William Thackerays Vanity Fair no one is better equipped in the struggle for wealth and worldly success than the alluring and ruthless Becky Sharp who defies her impoverished background to clamber up the class ladder. Her sentimental companion Amelia however longs only for caddish soldier George. As the two heroines make their way through the tawdry glamour of Regency society battles military and domestic are fought fortunes made and lost. The one steadfast and honourable figure in this corrupt world is Dobbin with his devotion to Amelia bringing pathos and depth to Thackerays gloriously satirical epic of love and social adventure.