The Bertrams: A Novel ; in Two Volumes. 2

The Bertrams was published in 1859 during a highly productive period in Anthony Trollope’s career, shortly after he had achieved significant fame with the Barsetshire series. Unlike his earlier works, this novel was intended to explore more somber themes regarding the disillusionment of youth and the struggles of a legal and literary career. Trollope wrote the novel while balancing his demanding duties as a surveyor for the General Post Office, often composing during his extensive train travels across the United Kingdom.

The novel was designed as a multi-volume set, which was the standard format for Victorian fiction distribution through circulating libraries like Mudie’s. While the work contains some of Trollope’s most autobiographical reflections on the anxieties of professional life, it was received with mixed reviews upon its release. Critics of the time found the tone notably more cynical than his previous output, though it remains a significant touchstone for scholars studying the development of the Victorian social novel.