8 h 28 minAudiobook4 minSummaryRead it, hear it, the 15-minute summary, and print and large print at cost
Audiobook edition · 8 h 28 minPaperback · 6 × 9 in · printing soonHardcover · 6 × 9 in · printing soonAbout this book
What if the love that gives you new hope asks you to set your own happiness aside?
William Whittlestaff has books, comfort, and a house run to his liking. No longer young, he expects little change. Then Mary Lawrie enters his quiet life in the English countryside, and affection unsettles his routine. Anthony Trollope's An Old Man's Love brings a settled bachelor face to face with an unexpected hope.
Mary is honest, sensible, and short of money, but her heart already holds John Gordon, who has gone abroad to seek his fortune. Security and kindness matter; so does her earlier loyalty. As Whittlestaff weighs his wishes against Mary's feelings, his outspoken housekeeper, Mrs. Baggett, has advice of her own.
What you’ll discover
- A late hope Meet a bookish bachelor whose unexpected affection disturbs the calm he has built around himself.
- A heart already pledged Follow Mary as she weighs the comfort of security against an attachment she cannot dismiss.
- Kindness under pressure Consider what generosity means when another person's happiness may cost you the thing you want.
- An outspoken presence Encounter Mrs. Baggett, a loyal housekeeper who is always ready to give her master advice.
- A quiet moral struggle Find clear, open storytelling that brings private feelings and difficult questions of fairness close.
Who will love it
For readers who love gentle, closely observed stories about conscience and affection, and for anyone curious about Trollope's final work.
What’s inside
The key ideas, in the 15-minute summary
- A settled bachelor meets a late hope
- A young woman with an earlier attachment
- Duty, generosity and what love permits
- A plain style for a private struggle
Who’s who
- William WhittlestaffA well-off, bookish bachelor no longer young, who finds unexpected feeling for a young woman and struggles to act fairly.
- Mary LawrieA young woman of small means, honest and sensible, who must weigh security and kindness against an earlier loyalty.
- John GordonThe young man who holds Mary's affection and has gone abroad to make his fortune.
- Mrs. BaggettWhittlestaff's outspoken housekeeper, loyal to her master and always ready with advice.
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.
- Audiobook
- 8 h 28 min, complete, read by Lucas Linden.
- 15-minute summary
- The key ideas in about 4 minutes, to read or to hear.
- 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.
eBooks and audiobooks open right away. Download EPUB or PDF, or send the book to your Kindle. Every printed copy is made when you order it and shipped worldwide; shipping is shown at checkout.
How it works
- Start free. Nothing to pay today; the eBook of this book is yours to keep.
- Read, listen and print. 200,000+ classics as eBook, large-print eBook, audiobook 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, audiobook and printed book you buy without the plan carries our 30-day money-back guarantee.
25 languages, side by side
Read and hear An Old Man's Love in 25 languages and switch at any time. Or read two side by side, paragraph by paragraph: the way to learn a language with a book you love.
An Old Man's Love
by Anthony Trollope · 1884
William Whittlestaff finds unexpected love and must weigh his happiness against a young woman's earlier loyalty.
Medium level5–10 hours to read25 languages
Excellent
- Read or listen
- 25 languages, side by side
- Print and large print at cost
- 5 accounts for the price of one
Free for 3 months · starts right away, on any device
Read free3 months free · cancel anytimeFree for 3 months, then USD 0.14 a dayCancel anytimeHow it works
From the 15-minute summary · Key idea 1
A settled bachelor meets a late hope
William Whittlestaff is a man past his youth who has arranged his life to suit himself. He is comfortably off, fond of books, and used to being the master of his own house. He has known disappointment in love, and he has learned to live without expecting much more from it.
His household is kept in order by his housekeeper, Mrs. Baggett. She is devoted to him, plain-spoken, and ready to give her opinion on his affairs whether he asks for it or not. Their small exchanges give the book much of its warmth and humor.
Free for 3 months · Cancel anytime
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 audiobookIn 25 languages, any device
USD 120FREE - 15-minute summariesRead or listen, 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 An Old Man's Love
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 An Old Man's Love about?
It is about William Whittlestaff, an older, comfortable bachelor, and a young woman he comes to love. The book asks what duty, gratitude and fairness require when his happiness may conflict with hers and another man's.
Was An Old Man's Love Trollope's last novel?
Yes. Trollope finished it shortly before his death in 1882, and it was published in 1884, after he died. It is a short, quiet book compared with his large series novels.
Is An Old Man's Love a true story?
No, it is fiction. Trollope invented the characters and the country setting, though he drew on the ordinary social customs, money worries and marriage expectations of Victorian England.
The author
Anthony Trollope
1815–1882 · English Victorian novelist
Anthony Trollope (1815–1882) was an English novelist. He was born in London, lived in Ireland for many years, and later returned to England. He worked for the Post Office while writing novels. His books include The Warden (1855), Barchester Towers (1857), and Doctor Thorne (1858). He died in London.
More like this
Free
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, new audiobooks 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
Popular in classics
See all
Free
