A well-meaning public official finds himself embroiled in a political scandal in this acclaimed satire. Set in an almshouse in rural England, The Warden features the realism, satire, and biting social commentary that helped establish Anthony Trollope as one of the preeminent English novelists of his day. Septimus Harding is the modest and wizened warden of Hiram's Hospital, a charitable institution funded by money bequeathed to the Diocese of Barchester. When young upstart John Bold stages a campaign that challenges the use of these charitable funds, and Harding's seemingly exorbitant earnings, critics come out of the woodwork to question the hospital's dealings. And making matters personal, Bold is courting Harding's daughter, Eleanor. The first installment in the Chronicles of Barsetshire, The Warden illuminates perceived Christian hypocrisies, yet strikes a light-hearted tone. A clear-eyed and humane work of satire, it brilliantly examines issues just as relevant today as in Victorian England.