Tom Jones isn't a bad guy, but boys just want to have fun. Nearly two and a half centuries after its publication, the adventures of the rambunctious and randy Tom Jones still makes for great reading. I'm not in the habit of using words like bawdy or rollicking, but if you look them up in the dictionary, you should see a picture of this book.

Tom Jones is one of the first and finest English comic novels.

Henry Fielding's high-spirited hero is a foundling of mysterious origins, discovered abandoned one night in the bed of the wealthy and benevolent Mr Allworthy. Tom's intrigues, amours and picaresque adventures, and how he pursues and wins the lovely and apparently unattainable Sophia Western, are the ingredients of a gloriously elaborate plot.

The novel appeared in 1749 to a mixture of consternation and applause. Fielding's blithe and racy humour, his insight into sexual ethics and social hypocrisy and his preoccupation with happiness as well as goodness give us, in Tom Jones, an unrivalled entertainment...

Dedication

BOOK Ⅰ

CHAPTER

 1 The introduction to the work, or bill of fare to the feast

 2 A short description of Squire Allworthy and a fuller account of

Miss Bridget Allworthy, his sister

 3 An odd accident which befell Mr. Allworthy at his return home.

The decent behaviour of Mrs. Deborah Wilkins, with some proper

animadversions on bastards

 4 The reader's neck brought into danger by a description; his escape,

and the great condescension of Miss Bridget AUworthy

 5 Containing a few common matters, with a very uncommon observation

upon them

 6 Mrs. Deborah is introduced into the parish with a simile. A short

account of Jenny Jones, with the difficulties and discouragements which

may attend young women in the pursuit of learning

 7 Containing such grave matter that the reader cannot laugh once

through the whole chapter, unless peradventure he should laugh at

the author

 8 A dialogue between Mesdames Bridget and Deborah, containing more

amusement but less instruction than the former

 9 Containing matters which will surprise the reader

 10 The hospitality of Allwortby; with a short sketch of the characters

of two brothers, a doctor and a captain, who were entertained by that gentleman

 11 COntaining many rules, and some examples,concerning falling in love;

descriptions of beauty, and other more prudential inducements to matrimony

 12 Containing what the reader may, perhaps, expect to find in it

 13 Which concludes the first book; with an instance of ingratitude which,

we hope, will appear unnatural

BOOK Ⅱ

CHAFIER

 1 Showing what kind of a history this is; what it is like, and what it is

not like

 2 Religions cautions against showing too much favour to bastards, and a great

discovery made by Mrs. Deborah Wilking

 3 The description of a domestic government founded upon rules directly

contrary to those of Aristotle

 4 Containing one of the most bloody battles, or rather duels, that were

ever recorded in domestic history

 5 Containing much matter to exercise the judgement and reflection of the

reader

 6 The trial of Partridge, the schoolmaster, for incontinency; the evidence

of his wife; a short reflection on the wisdom of our law;with other grave

matters/which those will like best who understand them most

 7 A short sketch of that felicity which prudent couples may extract from

hatred; with a short apology for those people who overlook imperfections in

their friends

 8 A receipt to regain the lost affections of a wife which hath never been

known to fail in the most desperate cases

 9 A proof of the infallibility of the foregoing receipt in the lamentations

of the widow;with other suitable decorations of death,such as physicians, &c.,

and an epitaph in the true style

BOOK Ⅲ

CHAPTER

 1 Containing little or nothing

 2 The hero of this great history appears with very bad omens. A little tale

of so LOW a kind that some may think it not worth their notice. A word or two

concerning a squire, and more relating to a gamekeeper and a schoolmaster

 3 The character of Mr. Square, the philosopher, and Mr. Thwackum, the divine;

with a dispute concerning

 4 COntaining a necessary apology for the author, and a childish incident,

which perhaps requires an apology likewise

 5 The opinions of the divine and philosopher concerning the two boys; with

some reasons for their opinions, and other matters

 6 Containing a better reason still for the before-mentioned opinions

 7 In which the author himself makes his appear-ance on the stage

 8 A childish incident, in which, however, is seen a good-natured disposition

in Tom Jones

 9 Containing an incident of a more heinous kind,with the comments of Thwackum

and Square

 10 In which Master Blifii and Jones appear in different lights

BOOK Ⅳ Containing the Time o/a Year

CHAPTER

 1 Containing five pages of paper

 2 A short hint of what we can do in the sublime,and a description of Miss

Sophia Western

 3 Wherein the history goes back to commemorate a trifling incident that

happened some years since; but which, trifling as it was, had some future

consequences

 4 Containing such very deep and grave matters that some readers, perhaps,

may not relish it

 5 Containing matter accommodated to every taste

 6 An apology for the insensibility of Mr. Jones to all the charms of the

lovely Sophia; in which, possibly, we may in a considerable degree lower his

character in the esthnation of those men of wit and gallantry who approve

the heroes in most of our modem comedies

 7 Being the shortest chapter in this book

 8 A battle sung by the Muse in the Homeriean style, and which none but

the classical reader can taste

 9 Containing matters of no very peaceable colour

 10 A story told by Mr. Supple, the curate. The penetration of Squire Western.

His great love for his daughter, and the return to it made by her

 11 The narrow escape of Molly Seagrim, with some observations for which we

have been forced to dive pretty deep into Nature

 12 Containing much clearer matters; but which flow from the same fountain

with those in the preceding chapter

 13 A dreadful accident which befell Sophia. The gallant behaviour of Jones,

and the more dreadful consequence of that behaviour to the young lady; with

a short digression in favour of the female sex

 14 The arrival of a surgeon. His operations, and along dialogue between

Sophia and her maid

BOOK Ⅴ

CHAFIER

 1 Of THE sinuous in writing, and for what purpose it is introduced

 2 In which Mr. Jones receives many friendly visits during his confinement;

with some fine touches of the passion of love scarce visible to the naked eye

 3 Which all who have no heart will think to contain much ado about nothing

 4 A little chapter, in which is contained a little incident

 5 A very long chapter, containing a very great incident

 6 By comparing which with the former, the reader may possibly correct some

abuse

 ……

BOOK Ⅵ

BOOK Ⅵ

BOOK Ⅷ

BOOK ⅠⅩ

BOOK Ⅹ

BOOK Ⅺ

BOOK Ⅻ

BOOK ⅩⅢ

BOOK ⅩⅣ

BOOK ⅩⅤ

BOOK ⅩⅥ

BOOK ⅩⅦ

BOOK ⅩⅧ