His first novel "Pamela: Or, Virtue Rewarded" Samuel Richardson published when he was already over fifty. Behind were hard times: Richardson survived death of his wife and five sons. And although his second wife gave him four daughters, he did not have a heir, who could continue his work. "Pamela" immediately became one of the most popular works of that time. The protagonist is a servant who staunchly opposes the attempts of the young master to seduce her but later still marries him. By the way, Pamela gave birth to seven children. Illustrated by Elena Odarich.