William Makepeace Thackeray

author

William Makepeace Thackeray

1811–1863

Best known for Vanity Fair, he wrote sharp, funny novels that exposed the manners and ambitions of Victorian society. His work mixes satire with sympathy, giving even flawed characters a very human edge.

47 Audiobooks

Doctor Birch and His Young Friends

Doctor Birch and His Young Friends

by William Makepeace Thackeray

The Virginians

The Virginians

by William Makepeace Thackeray

The Fitz-Boodle Papers

The Fitz-Boodle Papers

by William Makepeace Thackeray

Barry Lyndon

Barry Lyndon

by William Makepeace Thackeray

The Memoirs of Mr. Charles J. Yellowplush

The Memoirs of Mr. Charles J. Yellowplush

by William Makepeace Thackeray

The Rose and the Ring

The Rose and the Ring

by William Makepeace Thackeray

Catherine: A Story

Catherine: A Story

by William Makepeace Thackeray

Roundabout Papers

Roundabout Papers

by William Makepeace Thackeray

The History of Pendennis

The History of Pendennis

by William Makepeace Thackeray

La foire aux vanités, Tome I

La foire aux vanités, Tome I

by William Makepeace Thackeray

La foire aux vanités, Tome II

La foire aux vanités, Tome II

by William Makepeace Thackeray

Vanity Fair

Vanity Fair

by William Makepeace Thackeray

The Book of Snobs

The Book of Snobs

by William Makepeace Thackeray

Some Roundabout Papers

Some Roundabout Papers

by William Makepeace Thackeray

Burlesques

Burlesques

by William Makepeace Thackeray

John Leech's Pictures of Life and Character

John Leech's Pictures of Life and Character

by William Makepeace Thackeray

The Comic Almanack, Volume 1 An Ephemeris in Jest and Earnest, Containing Merry Tales, Humerous Poetry, Quips, and Oddities

The Comic Almanack, Volume 1 An Ephemeris in Jest and Earnest, Containing Merry Tales, Humerous Poetry, Quips, and Oddities

by William Makepeace Thackeray, Gilbert Abbott À Beckett, Henry Mayhew, Horace Mayhew, Albert Smith

The Christmas Books of Mr. M.A. Titmarsh

The Christmas Books of Mr. M.A. Titmarsh

by William Makepeace Thackeray

The Second Funeral of Napoleon

The Second Funeral of Napoleon

by William Makepeace Thackeray

The Fatal Boots

The Fatal Boots

by William Makepeace Thackeray

Little Travels and Roadside Sketches

Little Travels and Roadside Sketches

by William Makepeace Thackeray

The Comic Almanack, Volume 2 An Ephemeris in Jest and Earnest, Containing Merry Tales, Humerous Poetry, Quips, and Oddities

The Comic Almanack, Volume 2 An Ephemeris in Jest and Earnest, Containing Merry Tales, Humerous Poetry, Quips, and Oddities

by William Makepeace Thackeray, Gilbert Abbott À Beckett, Henry Mayhew, Horace Mayhew, Albert Smith

Men's Wives

Men's Wives

by William Makepeace Thackeray

George Cruikshank

George Cruikshank

by William Makepeace Thackeray

The Wolves and the Lamb

The Wolves and the Lamb

by William Makepeace Thackeray

Ballads

Ballads

by William Makepeace Thackeray

The Bedford-Row Conspiracy

The Bedford-Row Conspiracy

by William Makepeace Thackeray

Les mémoires d'un valet de pied

Les mémoires d'un valet de pied

by William Makepeace Thackeray

A Little Dinner at Timmins's

A Little Dinner at Timmins's

by William Makepeace Thackeray

The Paris Sketch Book of Mr. M. A. Titmarsh

The Paris Sketch Book of Mr. M. A. Titmarsh

by William Makepeace Thackeray

The Tremendous Adventures of Major Gahagan

The Tremendous Adventures of Major Gahagan

by William Makepeace Thackeray

The Loving Ballad of Lord Bateman

The Loving Ballad of Lord Bateman

by Charles Dickens, William Makepeace Thackeray

"Our Street"

"Our Street"

by William Makepeace Thackeray

About the author

Born in Calcutta in 1811, William Makepeace Thackeray became one of the major English novelists of the 19th century. He studied law and art before turning fully to writing for magazines and newspapers, where his wit, eye for social detail, and skill as an illustrator helped set him apart.

His reputation rests above all on Vanity Fair (1847–1848), the novel that first appeared under his own name and remains his best-known work. He also wrote The Luck of Barry Lyndon and The History of Henry Esmond, Esq., and in his own time he was widely seen as an important rival to Dickens.

Thackeray's fiction is remembered for its satire, but it is rarely cold. Alongside his mockery of greed, snobbery, and pretension, he had a strong sense of the weaknesses people share, which gives his novels both bite and warmth. He died in London in 1863.