The Expedition of Humphry Clinker

First published in 1771, and often regarded as Smollett's finest book, The Expedition of Humphry Clinker relates, in an ingenious series of overlapping letters, the adventures of Mr Matthew Bramble's family party as they travel through England and Scotland. The group includes a gouty country squire, a husband-hunter, an Oxford student, and an illiterate but racy lady's maid. They recount their travelling adventures. They gossip. They tell stories of Humphry Clinker, a servant picked up en route, and they record their individual reactions to the tour. Engrossing and entertaining, the novel provides a satirical and witty picture of the contemporary social and political scene.