Publication history right|thumb|The 1847 prospectus for the Vanity Fair: Pen and Pencil Sketches of English Society serial, advertising it under William Makepeace Thackeray's pen name Michael Angelo Titmarsh and under his own name. thumb|right|200px|The title page of the 1848 first edition of Vanity Fair: A Novel without a Hero. thumb|right|Becky's second appearance in the character of Clytemnestra, an illustration and caption by Thackeray that makes it clear he considered her to have killed Jos for his insurance money. 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.
Publication history right|thumb|The 1847 prospectus for the Vanity Fair: Pen and Pencil Sketches of English Society serial, advertising it under William Makepeace Thackeray's pen name Michael Angelo Titmarsh and under his own name. thumb|right|200px|The title page of the 1848 first edition of Vanity Fair: A Novel without a Hero. thumb|right|Becky's second appearance in the character of Clytemnestra, an illustration and caption by Thackeray that makes it clear he considered her to have killed Jos for his insurance money. 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.