Charles Dickens
Charles Dickens was the literary superstar who singlehandedly set the bar for popular fiction in the mid to late nineteenth century. As a result of his fame, Dickens was also in great demand as a speaker. This collection brings together dozens of the author's lectures and talks on topics ranging from the literature of the day to the toughest social issues.
Taking a cue from his love of pleasure travel and people-watching, in 1860 Charles Dickens developed a new persona he called the "Uncommercial Traveller." In the series of essays written from this perspective, Dickens describes his long, leisurely walks around London and occasional jaunts to other locales. This charming collection highlights Dickens attention to detail and his keen powers of observation.
Time and time again, Victorian literary luminary Charles Dickens gravitated to themes and fictional frameworks that allowed him to explore the diversity of humanity. That's the concept at the heart of these two tales about a kindhearted landlady and her generosity toward the lodgers who pass through her doors.
This charming collection of sketches from Victorian literary master Charles Dickens brings together a number of pieces that were originally published in various popular periodicals of the era. Most notable are the tales about the imaginary town of Mudfog, which detail, among other things, the political ascendancy and personal devolution of the town's mayor, as well as the lofty ambitions and intellectual pretensions of the town's scientific society.
...The most unique aspect of Charles Dickens' skill as a writer — and the characteristic that propelled him to unprecedented heights of literary fame — was his ability to immerse readers in the quotidian details of his characters' lives, loves, and struggles. That strength shines through in this vast collection of short pieces culled from Dickens' tenure as a newspaper columnist.
26) Reprinted Pieces
Whether you're just diving into the works of Charles Dickens or you're a confirmed fan trying to get your hands on new reading material, the eclectic collection Reprinted Pieces is an essential entry to add to your list. Comprising dozens of essays, sketches, short stories, and vignettes from Dickens' days as a columnist and editor, Reprinted Pieces is a charming survey of his breadth of talent.
The "Christmas Story" (often a "Christmas Ghost Story") was a popular Victorian tradition. Charles Dickens, who surely needs no introduction today, took part with gusto, penning dozens of Christmas tales (the most famous being A Christmas Carol). We are delighted to include not just the standard fare of A Christmas Carol, but a total of 25 great stories (more than 1,000 pages!) Dickens penned for Yuletide reading in this volume. Included
...Dickens wrote A Christmas Carol under financial duress, but it became one of his most popular and enduring stories. The old miser Ebenezer Scrooge cares nothing for family, friends, love or Christmas. All he cares about is money. Then one Christmas Eve he is visited by three ghosts: Christmas Past, Christmas Present and Christmas Yet To Come. These encounters leave Scrooge deeply moved and forever changed. Historians believe that A Christmas
...Oliver Twist is born an orphan and grows up handed from bad position to worse. Eventually he ends up in the London street gang run by Fagin, who attempts to blacken the boy's pure soul in his service. Through chance and coincidence Oliver is restored to his mother's middle-class family, where he is shown love and comfort for the first time in his life. The villains' attempts to kidnap him back are foiled and all are transported or hanged.
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...Though he is best remembered today as one of the most renowned novelists of the Victorian era, British author Charles Dickens was deeply engaged with the political and social debates of his time and often wrote essays and opinion pieces staking out his position in topical debates. In the essay "Sunday Under Three Heads," which Dickens originally published under a pseudonym, the writer argues in favor of the working classes having Sundays free to
...If you loved the quirky tales of eccentric lodgers collected in Dickens' previous volume, Mrs. Lirriper's Lodgings, you'll love these follow-up tales, which provide an update on the goings-on at the lodging house and tie up some loose ends that were left hanging in that collection.
The last major story that Dickens completed before his death, "George Silverman's Explanation" is something of a departure for the famed master of Victorian fiction. One of the rare tales Dickens wrote in the first person, the story is a narrative account of one man's horrific start in life, the ripples of which seem to fan out and negatively impact everything else that happens to him.
36) Hunted Down
Looking for a quick but engrossing read? In Hunted Down, master storyteller Charles Dickens makes an uncharacteristic foray into quasi-detective fiction, and creating an idiosyncratic protagonist whose strange interests and preoccupations make him a natural when it comes to tracking down criminals.