''The Adventures of Philip on his Way Through the World: Shewing Who Robbed Him, Who Helped Him, and Who Passed Him By'' (

1861 Statistically, this year is considered the end of the whale oil industry and (in replacement) the beginning of the petroleum oil industry. Events January–March * January 1 ** Benito Juárez captures Mexico City. ** The first steam-p ...

– 62) is a novel by

William Makepeace Thackeray William Makepeace Thackeray (; 18 July 1811 – 24 December 1863) was a British novelist, author and illustrator. He is known for his satirical works, particularly his 1848 novel '' Vanity Fair'', a panoramic portrait of British society, and t ...

. It was the last novel Thackeray completed, and harks back to several of his previous ones, involving as it does characters from ''

A Shabby Genteel Story ''A Shabby Genteel Story'' is an early and unfinished novel by William Makepeace Thackeray. It was first printed among other stories and sketches in his collection ''Miscellanies.'' A note in ''Miscellanies'' by Thackeray, dated 10 April 1857, de ...

'' and being, like ''

The Newcomes ''The Newcomes: Memoirs of a Most Respectable Family'' is a novel by William Makepeace Thackeray, first published in 1854 and 1855. Publication ''The Newcomes'' was published serially over about two years, as Thackeray himself says in one of t ...

'', narrated by the title character of his ''

Pendennis ''The History of Pendennis: His Fortunes and Misfortunes, His Friends and His Greatest Enemy'' (1848–50) is a novel by the English author William Makepeace Thackeray. It is set in 19th-century England, particularly in London. The main ...

''. In recent years it has not found as much favour from either readers or critics as Thackeray's early novels.

Synopsis

Philip Firmin, son of Dr. Brand Firmin and of Lord Ringwood's wealthy niece, has been left a fortune at the death of his mother. He discovers that his father is being blackmailed by Tufton Hunt, a clergyman who once performed a sham marriage ceremony between Brandon and Caroline Gann (as related in ''

''). Hunt now claims that the marriage was in fact valid, and urges Caroline to assert her rights and disinherit Philip by proving him illegitimate. Caroline, who is now working as a nurse and in this capacity has brought Philip through a serious illness, refuses to do this. Dr Firmin loses Philip's money and his own through unwise speculation and flees to America, and Philip's fiancée Agnes Twysden renounces him in favour of a wealthier rival. Philip now meets General Baynes, one of the trustees of his lost fortune, and falls in love with the General's daughter Charlotte. He marries her, in the teeth of her mother's opposition, and struggles to support her by becoming a journalist. His troubles are ended when the lost will of his great-uncle, Lord Ringwood, is discovered, and he is found to be the heir to the old man's riches.

Publishing history and reception

''The Adventures of Philip'' was first published as a serial in the ''

Cornhill Magazine ''The Cornhill Magazine'' (1860–1975) was a monthly Victorian magazine and literary journal named after the street address of the founding publisher Smith, Elder & Co. at 65 Cornhill in London.Laurel Brake and Marysa Demoor, ''Dictionar ...

'' (of which Thackeray was the editor) between January 1861 and August 1862, with illustrations by the author and Frederick Walker. It then appeared in book form published by Smith, Elder & Co. in three volumes in 1862, dedicated 'in grateful remembrance of old friendship and kindness' to Thackeray's friend

Matthew James Higgins Matthew James Higgins (4 December 1810 – 14 August 1868) was a British writer who used the pen name Jacob Omnium, which was the title of his first magazine article. He was born in County Meath, Ireland to a landed family. He owned an estate in ...

. The Leipzig firm of

Bernhard Tauchnitz Christian Bernhard Tauchnitz (August 25, 1816 – August 13, 1895) was a German publisher. Biography He was born near Naumburg, a nephew of Karl Christoph Traugott Tauchnitz. His firm, founded in Leipzig in 1837, was noted for its accurate classi ...

issued it the same year in two volumes. Critical reception of the book was on the whole not good, many reviewers suggesting that the author had written himself out. The anonymous notice in the '' Saturday Review'', for example, claimed that Thackeray's readers "ask him for something from his pen; what it is they do not care; and as he really has no other method of easily satisfying them, he gives them reminiscences of his old novels in profusion."

Walter Bagehot Walter Bagehot ( ; 3 February 1826 – 24 March 1877) was an English journalist, businessman, and essayist, who wrote extensively about government, economics, literature and race. He is known for co-founding the ''National Review'' in 1855 ...

, in ''

The Spectator ''The Spectator'' is a weekly British magazine on politics, culture, and current affairs. It was first published in July 1828, making it the oldest surviving weekly magazine in the world. It is owned by Frederick Barclay, who also owns ''The ...

'', said, "As far as 'plot' is concerned, ''Philip'' is a failure. No one of all its most numerous readers has probably read it with eager interest as a story." Nevertheless, Thackeray's fans must have found something to enjoy, since the book was reprinted frequently up the

First World War World War I (28 July 1914 11 November 1918), often abbreviated as WWI, was one of the deadliest global conflicts in history. Belligerents included much of Europe, the Russian Empire, the United States, and the Ottoman Empire, with fightin ...

. It fell into general neglect thereafter, very few reprints having been called for during the past 100 years, but in 2008 ''The Adventures of Philip'' was issued b
Cambridge Scholars Publishing
as volumes 12 and 13 of their edition of Thackeray's Complete Works, and a critical edition with commentary by Judith Law Fisher was published by the

University of Michigan Press The University of Michigan Press is part of Michigan Publishing at the University of Michigan Library. It publishes 170 new titles each year in the humanities and social sciences. Titles from the press have earned numerous awards, including L ...

in 2010.Catalogue entry
at Copac
Description at the University of Michigan Press website

Notes

External links

Online edition at Google Books
{{DEFAULTSORT:Adventures of Philip, The Novels by William Makepeace Thackeray 1861 British novels 1862 British novels Novels first published in serial form Works originally published in The Cornhill Magazine