Stray Papers

This 1901 treasury of wit, assembled by Thackeray’s biographer Lewis Melville, covers the great English satirist’s career and collects early sketches of some of his most famous characters. The book includes "Letter from Mrs. Ramsbottom,” "Poles Offering Corn,” "The Choice of a Loaf,” "Little Spitz,” and more.

William Makepeace Thackeray (1811–1863), a British satirical writer, also wrote magazine articles and travel books. His most devoted readers were lords and ladies, whom he satirized in his works. He is best known for his novels Vanity Fair and The Luck of Barry Lyndon, which skewer the pretensions of English high society.