First published in 1857, &quot;The Three Clerks&quot; was Anthony Trollope&rsquo;s sixth novel and was written mostly in railway carriages, since his work for the Post Office still entailed a good deal of travelling. To make life easier for himself, Trollope had devised what he called his &lsquo;tablet&rsquo;, a square block which he rested upon his knees in such a way that he could write in complete comfort.<br /><br />The story is drawn from his memories of his work (as a clerk) at the General Post Office in St Martin-le-Grand, and it is considered the most autobiographical of Trollope&rsquo;s novels &ndash; a story of the differing fortunes of 3 young men working at <i>Weights and Measures</i> and their relationships with a family of 3 sisters.<br /><br />In 1883 Trollope gave it as his opinion that &quot;The Three Clerks&quot;&nbsp;was a better novel than any of his earlier ones.