The History of Tom Jones, a Foundling: Book I
Before You Begin
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About this book
Henry Fielding opens Book I with a playful invitation to the reader, then turns to the discovery that changes Mr Allworthy’s household: a newborn found in his bedchamber. The child’s arrival draws servants and parish neighbors into a search for answers. Their accounts introduce a world shaped by rank, reputation, household duty and local custom in eighteenth-century Somersetshire.
This edition contains Book I of The History of Tom Jones, a Foundling. It follows the circumstances of the foundling’s arrival and the first relationships formed around him. The later books of Fielding’s novel are outside this volume, so the story can be read on its own before continuing to Book II.
Explore the illustrations
The plates offer several ways into this opening book. Character portraits introduce the people gathered around the Allworthy household; relationship diagrams show how their connections develop; maps place the action in the named landscape; and scene illustrations return to moments from the text. The chapter recaps and Story Medallions provide brief visual pauses as you read. Keep the gallery nearby, and let Fielding’s narrator set the pace.