Tom Jones

Beloved for its bawdy humor, this 18th-century masterpiece traces the adventures of its lusty, good-hearted hero as he seeks his fortune amid thieves, whores, soldiers, and other vividly drawn characters.

Dubbed "the father of the English novel" by Sir Walter Scott, Henry Fielding (1707-54) was educated at Eton and worked as a barrister, although writing was his true vocation. In 1741 he published Shamela, a parody of Samuel Richardson's sentimental and moralistic Pamela, followed a year later by Joseph Andrews. In 1749 he produced Tom Jones, his comic masterpiece and an incomparably vivid portrait of English society during the mid-18th century.