The Three Clerks

First published in 1857, "The Three Clerks" was Anthony Trollope’s sixth novel and was written mostly in railway carriages, since his work for the Post Office still entailed a good deal of travelling. To make life easier for himself, Trollope had devised what he called his ‘tablet’, a square block which he rested upon his knees in such a way that he could write in complete comfort.

The story is drawn from his memories of his work (as a clerk) at the General Post Office in St Martin-le-Grand, and it is considered the most autobiographical of Trollope’s novels – a story of the differing fortunes of 3 young men working at Weights and Measures and their relationships with a family of 3 sisters.

In 1883 Trollope gave it as his opinion that "The Three Clerks" was a better novel than any of his earlier ones.