The Bertrams: A Novel; Volume 2

The Bertrams was published in 1859 during a highly productive period in Anthony Trollope's career. Coming shortly after the success of his Barsetshire novels, this work was written at a time when Trollope was balancing his demanding career as a postal official with his burgeoning reputation as a novelist. He intended the story to capture the complexities of professional ambition and moral compromise, themes that were central to his observational style of Victorian realism.

The novel was designed as a three-volume set, a standard format for the 'triple-decker' sensation of the mid-nineteenth century. While Trollope himself later expressed significant reservations about the quality and focus of The Bertrams, describing it in his autobiography as a failure, it remains a vital case study for scholars of the era. The design and structure reflect the period's preference for serial-like narratives that could be easily consumed by the Victorian reading public, despite the author's own critical assessment of the manuscript.