The History of Henry Esmond

Written by William Makepeace Thackeray

Narrated by Gordon Griffin

Set in the reign of Queen Anne, Thackeray's novel follows the troubled progress of Henry Esmond Esq, a gentleman and an officer in Marlborough's army. Enamoured of the Jacobite Lady Castlewood and her wayward daughter Beatrix, he distinguishes himself in Marlborough's campaigns against Louis XIV, but comes to grief in an ingenious but ultimately unsuccessful attempt to despose George I in favour of the Old Pretender. He continues to wrestle with an emotional allegiance to the Old Tory-Catholic England until, disillusioned, he comes eventually to terms with the whiggish-Protestant future.

• Language: English
• Publisher: Isis Publishing Ltd
• Release date: Aug 1, 2003
• ISBN: 9781445058511

William Makepeace Thackeray

William Makepeace Thackeray (1811–1863) was a multitalented writer and illustrator born in British India. He studied at Trinity College, Cambridge, where some of his earliest writings appeared in university periodicals. As a young adult he encountered various financial issues including the failure of two newspapers. It wasn’t until his marriage in 1836 that he found direction in both his life and career. Thackeray regularly contributed to Fraser's Magazine, where he debuted a serialized version of one of his most popular novels, The Luck of Barry Lyndon. He spent his decades-long career writing novels, satirical sketches and art criticism.