The Luck of Barry Lyndon was first published as a serial in Fraser's Magazine, then later as a complete volume entitled The Memoirs of Barry Lyndon, Esq.-a title Thackeray disliked, but that was selected by his publisher. Thackeray had great difficulty composing the novel, and found himself frequently frustrated in his attempts to get Barry out of yet another jam. Ultimately he was displeased with his work, and considered it one of his lesser novels...