The Book of Snobs Author:William Makepeace Thackeray England may not have a monopoly on snobbery, but the nation is a past master in its practice, as Thackeray realised when he embarked on his priceless satirical account of the snobs of England. Serialized in Punch in 1846/7, hid hilarious portraits covered the snob royal and aristocratic, the city, the military and clerical snob, snobs on the con... more »tinent, in the country and in the club, and many more varieties of the species. Snobs are always with us, and one pleasure of reading Thackeray's coruscating wit today is to recognise the awful immortals still with us. And another no less rewarding thrill is the spectacle of the master satirist of the era, whose Vanity Fair began appearing even as the squibs against snobs were still being serialized, sharpening his wit and honing the tools of his trade.« less