Cover of The History of Henry Esmond, Esquire: A Colonel in the Service of Her Majesty Queen Anne by William Makepeace Thackeray Ebook The History of Henry Esmond, Esquire: A Colonel in the Service of Her Majesty Queen Anne
Ebook · Sovereign

The History of Henry Esmond, Esquire: A Colonel in the Service of Her Majesty Queen Anne

Author
William Makepeace Thackeray
Language
English
Length
470 pages
ISBN
9781802569285
Published
11 October 2025
Imprint
Sovereign
  • Queen Anne
  • Jacobitism
  • aristocracy
  • illegitimacy
  • historical fiction
  • 18th-century England
  • loyalty
  • romance
  • political intrigue
  • moral ambiguity

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Description

The History of Henry Esmond is a richly detailed historical novel set in late 17th- and early 18th-century England, narrated by Henry Esmond himself—an honorable, illegitimate scion of the noble Castlewood family. The story traces his devoted love for his cousin Beatrix, his complex loyalty to the doomed Stuart cause, and his service during Queen Anne’s reign. Blending romance, political intrigue, and philosophical reflection, Thackeray crafts a vivid portrait of an era defined by shifting loyalties, class tensions, and moral ambiguity, all rendered with elegant prose and deep historical insight.

Author

William Makepeace Thackeray (1811–1863) wrote Vanity Fair and a satirical England of snobs, soldiers, and Becky Sharp. Born in Calcutta, ruined young, he learned the world as a magazine man and then painted it at novel length. The narrator winks; the damage is real. Thirty-one titles here — more Fair than the one book everyone names. He drew as well as he wrote, and he never quite forgave society for being as silly as it is.

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