14 minSummaryRead it, the 15-minute summary, and print and large print at cost
Audiobook editionPaperback · 6 × 9 in · printing soonHardcover · 6 × 9 in · printing soonAbout this book
What happens when a young man has a vast fortune, every pleasure within reach, and no one to say no?
In Benjamin Disraeli’s The Young Duke, George Augustus Frederick inherits the dukedom of St James while still very young. With the habits of a boy and the power of a prince, he enters London society. Fine clothes, lavish dinners and the chase for admiration fill his days. But what can all this freedom teach him?
Around him, Lady Aphrodite and his cousin Charles Annesley move easily through the fashionable world. May Dacre stands apart. Her seriousness and good sense make the duke look differently at a life devoted to amusement. Behind the glitter, Disraeli explores whether a talented young man can find something worth wanting beyond pleasure.
What you’ll discover
- A fortune without limits Follow a young nobleman whose wealth gives him freedom before he knows how to use it.
- London in full glitter Step among fashionable dinners, fine clothes and drawing rooms where admiration becomes a pursuit.
- Good sense amid glamour Meet May Dacre, whose thoughtful presence challenges the duke’s easy devotion to amusement.
- A narrator with opinions Enjoy a talkative guide who jokes about the characters and speaks straight to you.
- Satire with a heart Discover sharp wit and sudden feeling beneath the sparkle of aristocratic life.
Who will love it
Readers who enjoy glittering high society, sharp satire and a spoiled young hero learning the limits of wealth will love this novel. It suits lovers of gossip, wit, romance and old London.
What’s inside
The key ideas, in the 15-minute summary
- Praise leaves the Duke unprepared
- Fashion crowns him in one evening
- Grand houses hide careless spending
- A charming friend has hidden motives
- May refuses to flatter him
- A dazzling party turns dangerous
- Gambling deepens the financial reckoning
- Affection can conceal a private plan
- Kindness hints at another possible self
Who’s who
- The Duke of St. JamesA beautiful, rich and spoiled young peer who wants to be admired by everyone and slowly learns what he is missing.
- May DacreA quick-witted Yorkshire heiress, Catholic and proud, who will not be flattered and expects a husband to share her ideals.
- Mr. DacreThe Duke's neglected guardian, a courteous Catholic gentleman who has managed his ward's fortune faithfully while being treated with contempt.
- Lord Fitz-pompeyThe Duke's uncle, a polished schemer who spoils the boy in order to marry him to his daughter and keep his fortune in the family.
- Lady Caroline St. MauriceThe Duke's gentle cousin, brought up from childhood to be his wife, who loves him with quiet loyalty.
- Sir Lucius GraftonA handsome rake and jockey who poses as the Duke's closest friend while following plans of his own.
- Lady Aphrodite GraftonSir Lucius's unhappy wife, virtuous and dignified, who falls deeply in love with the young Duke.
- Arundel DacreMay's brooding, brilliant cousin and heir to the Dacre estates, who wants to make his own name in politics.
Formats and delivery
- eBook
- On your phone, tablet, computer or Kindle, with the type as large as you like.
- Large-print eBook
- The same book in bigger, clearer type, from the first page.
- 15-minute summary
- The key ideas in about 14 minutes, to read today.
- Paperback
- 6 × 9 in. Printing soon: leave your email under Paperback or Hardcover above.
- Hardcover
- 6 × 9 in. Printing soon: leave your email under Paperback or Hardcover above.
- Large print paperback
- 8.5 × 11 in. Printing soon: leave your email under Paperback or Hardcover above.
- Large print hardcover
- 8.5 × 11 in. Printing soon: leave your email under Paperback or Hardcover above.
Every printed copy is made when you order it and shipped worldwide; shipping is shown at checkout. The eBook opens when the book texts go online.
How it works
- Start free. Nothing to pay today; the eBook of this book is yours to keep.
- Read and print. 200,000+ classics as eBook, large-print eBook and 15-minute summary, and any book printed at cost as a paperback, hardcover or large print, 5 accounts for the price of one.
- We remind you first. Free for 3 months, and we email you 7 days before your first payment. Then USD 0.14 a day in your first year on the yearly plan and USD 0.27 a day after, or USD 0.66 a day on the monthly plan. Cancel online in two clicks.
Bought on its own? Every eBook and printed book you buy without the plan carries our 30-day money-back guarantee.
25 languages, side by side
The Young Duke in 25 languages, side by side, paragraph by paragraph, once the book texts are online: the way to learn a language with a book you love.
The Young Duke
by Benjamin Disraeli · 1831
A duke of twenty-one with half a million in the bank sets out to spend it all on pleasure.
Medium level5–10 hours to read20 languages
Learn a language with medium classicsSpanishFrenchGermanItalianJapanesePortugueseEnglishHow we measure levels
Excellent
Free for 3 months · starts right away, on any device
Read free3 months free · cancel anytimeRenews every year · Cancel anytimeHow it works
- Read, large type too
- 25 languages, side by side
- Print and large print at cost
- 5 accounts for the price of one
“Disraeli, laying aside his personalities, showed in a noble passage that when he chose he could rise to the level of a great subject.”
In short
What happens when a boy inherits half a million pounds, vast estates and numerous grand residences, then wins the adoration of fashionable London? Benjamin Disraeli built a whole novel on that question.
The Young Duke at a glance
- Reading time
- About 7 h 30 min5 h 55 min fast, 8 h 55 min slow
- Length
- 107,000 words
- Library level
- Medium longer sentences, everyday words
- First published
- 1831by Benjamin Disraeli
Reading time at 238 words a minute (fast 300, slow 200). How long the classics take to read · Updated
From the 15-minute summary · Key idea 1
A boy raised on flattery and presents
George Augustus Frederick, Duke of St. James, turns twenty-one, and the book treats the day like a national holiday. He owns estates in the north and west of England, a province in Ireland and streets in London. His rent roll shows two hundred thousand pounds a year, and half a million more sits in government securities.
His late father named a Catholic gentleman, Mr. Dacre, as guardian and passed over the boy's uncle, the Earl of Fitz-pompey. The Earl never forgives this. He wins the boy with pineapples, ponies and the kisses of his cousins. Mr. Dacre's quiet household offers a dull contrast to the excitement and indulgence of the Earl's.
Renews every year · Cancel anytime
You looked at
Which edition is right for me
- eBook
- On your phone, tablet or computer. Your place follows you, and you can make the type as big as you like.
- 15-minute summary
- The key ideas of the whole book in about 14 minutes. A good first look, or a refresher.
Details
- First published
- 1831
- Language
- English
- Level
- Medium level
Cite this edition
Disraeli, Benjamin. The Young Duke. Library of Alexandria, 2026, libraryofalexandria.com/products/the-young-duke.
Disraeli, B. (2026). The young duke. Library of Alexandria. https://libraryofalexandria.com/products/the-young-duke (Original work published 1831)
Disraeli, Benjamin. The Young Duke. Library of Alexandria, 2026. https://libraryofalexandria.com/products/the-young-duke.
@book{disraeli2026young,
author = {Disraeli, Benjamin},
title = {The Young Duke},
publisher = {Library of Alexandria},
year = {2026},
url = {https://libraryofalexandria.com/products/the-young-duke},
note = {First published 1831}
}
Free gifts
USD 580 in free gifts when you start
Every book in every format and in 25 languages, 5 accounts for the price of one. Nothing to pay today.
- 200,000+ classic eBooksIn 25 languages, side by side
USD 170FREE - Every eBookIn 25 languages, any device
USD 120FREE - 15-minute summariesRead in 25 languages
USD 60FREE - Print at cost, no markupPaperback, hardcover, large print
USD 60FREE - 5 accounts for the price of oneA shelf for everyone at home
USD 170FREE - A part in rebuilding the libraryNew languages and books for all
FREE
Questions about The Young Duke
Can I read it free?
Yes. The first key idea of the 15-minute summary is free with no sign-up. Start free and the whole book is yours for 3 months, with the eBook to keep, plus 200,000+ more classics and any book printed at cost as a paperback, hardcover or large print. Nothing to pay today: we email you 7 days before your first payment, and you can cancel online in two clicks.
Can I buy the printed book?
Soon. The paperback, hardcover and large print editions are being prepared. Choose Paperback or Hardcover above, leave your email, and we tell you the day you can order it, printed at cost.
How many accounts do I get?
Five, for the price of one: you and 4 more people, each with their own login, shelf and their own place in every book.
Can I cancel anytime?
Yes. Cancel online in two clicks at any time and nothing more is charged. Nothing is charged in your first 3 months, and we email you 7 days before your first payment.
What is The Young Duke about?
It follows George, Duke of St. James, who takes control of an enormous fortune at twenty-one and spends it on houses, horses and parties. The story shows how flattery, vanity and bad friends empty his life, and how a proud young woman changes his view of himself.
Who is May Dacre in The Young Duke?
May Dacre is the daughter of the Duke's old guardian. She is witty, devout and independent. She refuses to be dazzled by his rank, and her honesty becomes the standard by which the Duke measures his own character.
Is The Young Duke a true story?
No, it is a novel. Disraeli drew on the society he knew as a young man, and many characters are satirical portraits of the fashionable types of his day. The story mixes London clubs and race meetings with grand family estates and an invented plot.
The author
Benjamin Disraeli
1804–1881 · British statesman and novelist
Benjamin Disraeli (1804–1881) was a British politician and novelist. He was born in London and lived in England. His novels include Henrietta Temple (1837), Coningsby (1844), Sybil (1845), and Tancred (1847). He led the Conservative Party and served as British prime minister in 1868 and from 1874 to 1880.
“Pity his doomed youth!”
More by Benjamin Disraeli
See all their booksMore like this
Our mission
The library burned once. We are building it back.
Every great book, in every language and every format, for every family. Every plan helps pay for new languages and books for readers who have never had them. Join the movement.
Read our story- Every language25 languages today, side by side, and more every year
- No wastePrinted on demand: no warehouses, no unsold stock, no pulped copies
- For everyonePaperback, hardcover and large print at the cost of printing
