The Adventures of Roderick Random (Barnes & Noble Digital Library)

Roderick “Rory” Random, shunned by his family, goes almost everywhere trying to earn his status as a gentleman. After an abusive education, he embarks on a global series of misadventures, many involving wealthy women. Random’s Royal Navy experiences are based on those of the author, who practically invented the English “picaresque novel” in this 1748 romp.