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First published in 1864, this fifth novel of the Chronicles of Barsetshire series primarily relates the story of Lily Dale, a young woman living in the dower house of the Allington estate with her mother and sister Bell. Although Lily is secretly loved by a junior clerk in a tax office, John Eames, she becomes enamored with Adolphus Crosbie, an ambitious and egocentric man from a more urban environment. When Crosbie's fickle behavior leaves Lily heartbroken, she must decide if she will accept the honest suit of Eames, or if she will opt for a protected, solitary life of spinsterhood. In addition to the struggle of Trollope's most well-liked heroine, the author includes a host of other characters who enhance the narrative and its masterful portrayal of the inner lives and complexity of men and women.

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Despite a decreasing popularity throughout his career, Anthony Trollope (1815-1882) has become one of the most notable and respected English novelists of the Victorian Era. His penetrating novels on political, social and gender issues of his day have placed him among such nineteenth century literary icons as Jane Austen, Charles Dickens and George Eliot. Trollope penned 47 novels in his career, in addition to various short stories, travel books and biographies. «Rachel Ray» is the story of a young brewer, Luke Rowan, who travels to Baslehurst in an effort to protect his interests in the Bengall and Tappitt brewery. There he meets and falls in love with a young woman named Rachel Ray, to the dismay of many who intended otherwise for the young man. This short novel offers an entertaining account of life in a small English town in the mid-nineteenth century, but more importantly illustrates Trollope's animosity towards the newly industrialized England and the demise of such Victorian values as nobility and service.

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Despite a decreasing popularity throughout his career, Anthony Trollope (1815-1882) has come to be recognized as one of the most notable and respected English novelists of the Victorian Era. His penetrating novels on political, social and gender issues of his day have placed him among such nineteenth century literary icons as Jane Austen, Charles Dickens and George Eliot. Trollope penned 47 novels in his career, in addition to various short stories, travel books and biographies. «Lady Anna» was written in 1871 and first published in 1874. It tells the story of Lady Lovel, whose ambitious marriage to the ill-reputed Earl Lovel left her with a child of questionable legitimacy. When her daughter, Lady Anna, is nearly twenty one, the Earl dies and his fortune is left to a distant nephew. Lady Anna must now decide to marry the young Frederick Lovel for money, or to disregard her mother's vicious meddling and marry her true love instead.

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Despite a decreasing popularity throughout his career, Anthony Trollope (1815-1882) has become one of the most notable and respected English novelists of the Victorian Era. His penetrating novels on political, social and gender issues of his day have placed him among such nineteenth century literary icons as Jane Austen, Charles Dickens and George Eliot. Trollope penned 47 novels in his career, in addition to various short stories, travel books and biographies. A newfound interest in politics led to the publication of «The Prime Minister» in 1876, one of a group of novels sometimes called Trollope's parliamentary novels. This novel tells of the successes, troubles, and eventual failure of what the author calls the completed picture of a statesman, who should have «rank, and intellect, and parliamentary habits, by which to bind him to the service of his country . . . he should also have unblemished, unextinguishable, inexhaustible love of country» (from Trollope's Autobiography).

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Written in 1869 with a clear awareness of the time's tension over women's rights, «He Knew He Was Right» is primarily a story about Louis Trevelyan, a young, wealthy, educated Victorian man and his marriage to the beautiful Emily Rowley. They meet in the Mandarin Islands, where Emily's father is governor, but their happiness in wedlock is short-lived. They soon have a son and Louis begins to have strong feelings of jealousy towards Emily. Emily accepts frequent visits from the older Colonel Osborne, despite the fact that these innocent calls incite the unwarranted disapproval of Louis, to the point of resentment and separation. While their marital struggle carries on, Trollope skillfully weaves in other characters and the difficulties they face, most notably with Aunt Jemima Stanbury and several unmarried ladies of her acquaintance. When the tale turns back to the emotionally unstable Louis, the author continues to explore the psychological and emotional depths of the strained spousal relationship of this man, fully and masterfully delving into the tragedy of a man going jealously insane.

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The third and least political novel of the Palliser series, «The Eustace Diamonds» concerns the beautiful pathological liar Lizzie Greystock. Determined to marry into wealth, Lizzie snares the ailing Sir Florian Eustace and quickly becomes a widow. Despite the brevity of their marriage, Lizzie still inherits according to the generous terms of Sir Florian's will, which include the Eustace diamonds. When the Eustace family solicitor, Mr. Camperdown, begins to question her legal claim to the family heirloom, however, Lizzie begins to weave a tangled web of deception and crime to ensnare possession of the diamonds. Enlisting the aid of her cousin Frank Greystock, much to the dismay of his constant fiancée Lucy Morris, Lizzie seeks to both avoid legal persecution and have a true love affair, first with Frank, and later with Lord George de Bruce Carruthers. Considered a satire of the acceptance of the corrupting influence of money and greed in Victorian society, Trollope's novel blends elements of mystery, politics, and romance in a memorable and thought-provoking work.

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The first novel of Trollope’s “Chronicles of Barsetshire” series, “The Warden” introduces the fictional cathedral town of Barchester and many of its clerical inhabitants. Originally published in 1855, the story centers on Mr. Septimus Harding who has been granted the comfortable wardenship of Hiram’s Hospital, an almshouse from a medieval charity of the diocese. Mr. Harding, a fundamentally good man and an excellent musician, conscientiously fulfills his duties to the twelve elderly occupants of the hospital. He also cares for his younger daughter Eleanor, who is in love with a young doctor named John Bold. The misfortunes of Harding begin when Bold becomes an enthusiastic reformer and endeavors to expose the great disparity in the allotment of Hiram’s antiquated charity funds. This leads to a sequence of events that he becomes powerless to stop, from the editorials of Tom Towers in “The Jupiter” to the legal interference of Archdeacon Grantly. The novel is a thoughtful description of clerical life infused with the romance of a young couple, which combines to form a novel with a melancholy conclusion. This edition includes a biographical afterword.

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Despite a declining popularity throughout his career, Anthony Trollope has become one of the most notable and respected English novelists of the Victorian Era. His penetrating novels on political, social and gender issues of his day have placed him among such nineteenth century literary icons as Jane Austen, Charles Dickens, and George Eliot. Trollope penned 47 novels in his career, in addition to various short stories, travel books, and biographies. First published in 1858, “Doctor Thorne” is the third novel in Trollope’s series known as the “Chronicles of Barsetshire”, and is argued to be one of Trollope’s best works. It tells the story of Mary Thorne, the niece of Dr. Thomas Thorne, whose illegitimacy remains a secret for much of the novel as she is raised by her kind uncle and falls in love with the rich Frank Gresham. This melodramatic novel displays Trollope’s brilliant management of plot and dialogue while exploring themes of illegitimacy, class division and the practice of marrying for money. This edition includes a biographical afterword.

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The second novel of Anthony Trollope’s “Chronicles of Barsetshire” series and widely considered one of his best and most popular works, “Barchester Towers” was published in 1857 and continues the story of Mr. Harding and his daughter Eleanor in the beautiful cathedral city of Barchester. Upon the death of the popular and beloved bishop, the citizens fully expect his son, Archdeacon Grantly, to fill the vacancy. Much to their consternation, however, the far more Evangelical Bishop Proudie is given the position. A struggle for power ensues between these traditional and new forces. Mrs. Proudie, the Bishop’s overbearing wife, and the Bishop’s new chaplain, the distasteful and hypocritical Mr. Slope, use their power to control the selection of the new warden of the local hospital over the objections of the rest of the clergy. Clerical reinforcements are called in on both sides and the struggle between the different factions of the church plays out amid the romantic entanglements and dramas of the town’s inhabitants. In the end, the results are more than satisfactory for Eleanor and other citizens of Barchester in this witty comedy. This edition includes a biographical afterword.

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Published in 1875 after appearing in serial form, “The Way We Live Now” is widely acknowledged to be the masterpiece of Anthony Trollope’s prolific Victorian career. The novel is a scathing satire which Trollope wrote upon returning to England after traveling abroad. Trollope was horrified to discover how pervasive greed and dishonesty had become in England during his absence. In seeking to reveal the deceit and dissipation he found, Trollope spared no sinful aspect he perceived in business, politics, social classes, literature, and various vice-related activities. Inspired by the devastation wrought by several famous financial scams of the nineteenth century, Trollope drew upon these scandals to show how destructive such deception and avarice can become. The result of his efforts is an impressive array of characters, such as the old coquette Lady Carbury, her dissolute son Sir Felix, a spoiled and treacherously lovely heiress Marie, and her colossal figure of a father Augustus Melmotte, the great financier whose deceitful plots dupe countless wealthy individuals. Through the swindling, bribery, feuding, and shameless self-promotion of these characters, Trollope writes a sweeping panorama of vice for the sake of monetary greed that will cause readers to reflect on the morality of our own time. This edition includes a biographical afterword.

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