The Warden

In the quiet cathedral town of Barchester, a gentle clergyman named Mr Harding lives a contented life as warden of Hiram's Hospital, a charitable home for twelve elderly men. His income comes from the hospital's ancient endowments, and no one has ever questioned it. Then a young reformer, John Bold, decides that the warden's salary is too large and the bedesmen too poorly treated. He brings a legal case, and a London newspaper takes up the cause. Overnight, Mr Harding becomes the target of public scandal, and his world is turned upside down.

Anthony Trollope's first Barsetshire novel, published in 1855, is a warm, witty, and deeply humane story about conscience, reputation, and the cost of doing what is right. It is also a sharp satire of church politics, legal machinery, and the power of the press. At its heart is a quiet, music-loving man who must choose between his comfortable position and his own sense of honor.

This edition is meant for first-time readers of Trollope, for students of Victorian literature, and for book clubs that enjoy character-driven classics with a moral edge. It includes the complete text of The Warden, a new introduction that sets the novel in its historical context, a guide to the principal characters, a summary of the plot, a thematic overview, a glossary of period terms, and discussion questions.