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The novel was originally published as being "by an Old Boy of Rugby", and much of it is based on the author's experiences. Tom Brown is largely based on the author's brother [[George Hughes (cricketer)|George Hughes]]. George Arthur, another of the book's main characters, is generally believed to be based on [[Arthur Penrhyn Stanley]]. The fictional Tom's life also resembles the author's, in that the culminating event of his school career was a cricket match.<ref>{{Cite journal | last = Seccombe | first = Thomas | authorlink = Thomas Seccombe | year = 1911 | title = Encyclopædia Britannica (Hughes, Thomas)| volume = 13 |page=861 | url = http://en.wikisource.org/w/index.php?title=User:Tim_Starling/ScanSet_TIFF_demo&vol=13&page=EC3A905}}</ref> The novel also features [[Thomas Arnold|Dr Thomas Arnold]] (1795–1842), who was the actual [[headmaster]] of Rugby School from 1828 to 1841.
''Tom Brown's School Days'' has been the source for several film and television adaptations. It also influenced the genre of British [[school novel]]s, which began in the nineteenth century, and led to fictional depictions of schools such as [[Billy Bunter]]'s [[Greyfriars School]], [[Mr Chips]]' Brookfield, and [[St. Trinian's]]. A sequel, ''[[Tom Brown at Oxford]]'', was published in 1861.
{{Flashman novels}}
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[[Category:1857 British novels]]
[[Category:19th-century British children's literature]]
[[Category:British autobiographical novels]]
[[Category:British children's novels]]
[[Category:English novels]]
[[Category:Novels by Thomas Hughes]]
[[Category:British novels adapted into films]]
[[Category:Macmillan Publishers books]]
[[Category:Novels set in the 1830s]]
[[Category:Novels set in Warwickshire]]
[[Category:Novels set in Berkshire]]
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