The History Of Henry Esmond Esquire Author:William Makepeace Thackerary With illustrations of the author, his environment and the setting of the book. Introduction by Arthur D. Howden Smith. — Because Thackeray did not have a high regard for the historians of his day, Henry Esmond is a blend of historical fact and romantic fiction. The story is set in England and the Low Countries in the late seventeenth and early ... more »eighteenth centuries, and there is fact in many of the historical characters of the book. There is fiction in the story of Colonel Henry Esmond, who was in love with two women. One of those women, Beatrix, is one of the most delightfully puzzling and fascinating coquettes in all English literature, and no reader can escape the witchery of her charms. She has been a favorite since the book was first published in 1852.« less