Becky's overpriced horses. Becky ensnares him again near the end of the book and, it is hinted, murders him for his life insurance. Publication history Thackeray may have begun working out some of the details of Vanity Fair as early as 1841 but probably began writing it in late 1844. Like many novels of the time, Vanity Fair was published as a serial before being sold in book form. It was printed in 20 monthly parts between January 1847 and July 1848 for Punch by Bradbury & Evans in London. The first three had already been completed before publication, while the others were written after it had begun to sell. As was standard practice, the last part was a "double number" containing parts 19 and 20. Surviving texts, his notes, and letters show that adjustments were made – e.g., the Battle of Waterloo was delayed twice – but that the broad outline of the story and its principal themes were well established from the beginning of publication. No. 1 (January 1847) Ch. 1–4 No. 2 (February 1847) Ch. 5–7 No. 3 (March 1847) Ch. 8–11 No. 4 (April 1847) Ch. 12–14 No. 5 (May 1847) Ch. 15–18 No. 6 (June 1847) Ch. 19–22 No. 7 (July 1847) Ch. 23–25 No. 8 (August 1847) Ch. 26–29 No. 9 (September 1847) Ch. 30–32 No. 10 (October 1847) Ch. 33–35 No. 11 (November 1847) Ch. 36–38 No. 12 (December 1847) Ch. 39–42 No. 13 (January 1848) Ch. 43–46 No. 14 (February 1848) Ch. 47–50 No. 15 (March 1848) Ch. 51–53 No. 16 (April 1848) Ch. 54–56 No. 17 (May 1848) Ch. 57–60 No. 18 (June 1848) Ch. 61–63 No. 19/20 (July 1848) Ch. 64–67 The parts resembled pamphlets and contained the text of several chapters between outer pages of steel-plate engravings and advertising. Woodcut engravings, which could be set along with normal moveable type, appeared within the text. The same engraved illustration appeared on the canary-yellow cover of each monthly part; this colour became Thackeray's signature, as a light blue-green was Dickens's, allowing passers-by to notice a new Thackeray number in a bookstall from a distance. Vanity Fair was the first work that Thackeray published under his own name and was extremely well received at the time. After the conclusion of its serial publication, it was printed as a bound volume by Bradbury & Evans in 1848 and was quickly picked up by