Henry Fielding: a Memoir / Including Newly Discovered Letters and Records with Illustrations from Contemporary Prints

A biographical study reconstructs the life and career of an eighteenth-century novelist and public figure through newly discovered letters, prints, and official records. It traces his youth and family background, early theatrical writings and marriage, the creation and reception of his plays and major novels, and his later role as a magistrate and advocate for legal and poor‑law reform. The narrative weaves unpublished correspondence, contemporary press extracts, and archival documents with reproductions of rare portraits and cartoons to illuminate his personality, public activities, legislative efforts, and the circumstances surrounding his final voyage and death.