An Unofficial 'The Rest Is History' Reading List

William Makepeace Thackeray

3 books referenced

Books by William Makepeace Thackeray

Vanity Fair

Referenced in 2 episodes

615. Disneyland: The Modern American Utopia

November 06, 2025

Context:

Mentioned as 'Thackeray's novel Vanity Fair' in the context of discussing famous visitors to Vauxhall Pleasure Gardens.

14. Historical Fiction

January 11, 2021

Context:

Mentioned as great historical novel set around time of author's birth

The Luck of Barry Lyndon

Referenced in 1 episode

47. The Seven Years' War

April 29, 2021

Context:

Quoted at the opening of the episode to illustrate the complexity of explaining the Seven Years' War. Described as 'his great novel' from 1844.

Barry Lyndon

Referenced in 1 episode

24. Sex in the City

February 18, 2021

Context:

Listed alongside Tom Jones as one of the 18th/19th century literary tropes Hallie wanted to incorporate into her novel