Search results for ""author charles dickens.""

Young Pip seems destined to follow in his family's humble footsteps. Then one day, an anonymous gift suddenly transforms him into a rich young man . . . but will it also transform his life for the better? Dickens's great bildungsroman, featuring iconic characters like Miss Havisham, is an enduring favorite in schools,libraries, and homes.

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When millions suffer under iron-fisted oppression, when anger and resentment boil into bloody insurrection, when triumph leads to savage vengeance—does one individual life matter? In A Tale of Two Cities, Charles Dickens interweaves the intensely personal dramas of Lucie Manette, Charles Darnay, and Sydney Carton with the terror and chaos of the French Revolution. The result is a powerful story of love, sacrifice, and redemption amid horrific violence and world-changing events.

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When millions suffer under oppression, when resentment boils into bloody insurrection, when triumph leads to savage vengeance—can one individual life matter? In A Tale of Two Cities, Charles Dickens sets the intensely personal dramas of Lucie Manette, Charles Darnay, and Sydney Carton against the backdrop of the French Revolution and its terror and chaos. The result is a powerful story of love, sacrifice, and redemption.

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This beautiful, giftable Christmas collection features 15 old-fashioned works from classic authors who invite you to a feast of holiday nostalgia.A Classic Christmas includes stories from Louisa May Alcott, L. M. Montgomery, Hans Christian Andersen, Harriet Beecher Stowe, and Charles Dickens (A Christmas Carol, the world-renowned holiday favorite). The volume also includes poems from Clement Clarke Moore, Elizabeth Barrett Browning, Henry Wadsworth Longfellow, Paul Laurence Dunbar, Christina Rossetti, Margaret Deland, Libbie C. Baer, and Anna de Brémont. This collection is a timeless reminder that the heart of the holiday never changes. Affordable and giftable size Presentation page for writing a meaningful message for gifting Perfect as a stocking stuffer, white-elephant gift, or host gift Filled with hopeful and encouraging Christmas stories and poems Makes a lovely keepsake companion to

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Complete and unabridged, this elegantly designed hardcover edition of Great Expectations features vibrant endpapers, an introduction by Grace Moore, and a timeline of the life and times of Charles Dickens. Set in Victorian London, Great Expectations is the cautionary tale of a young man raised high above his station by a mysterious benefactor. Its remarkable characters and compelling story about wealth and poverty, crime and social anxiety, and the bitterness of unrequited love are as relevant today as when the novel was first serialized in 1860–1861. Charles Dickens’s tale begins with young, orphaned Philip Pirrip, “Pip,” running afoul of an escaped convict in a cemetery. This terrifying personage bullies Pip into stealing food and a file to remove his ankle shackle. The boy does as he’s asked, but the convict is captured anyway and transported to the penal colonies in Australia. Having started his novel in a cemetery, Dickens then ups the stakes and introduces his hero into the decaying household of Miss Havisham, a wealthy, reclusive, half-mad woman who had been left at the altar many years ago, but was still clad in her wedding gown, now faded and yellow. Pip is brought there to play with Miss Havisham’s ward, Estella, a cruel and beautiful little girl who delights in tormenting Pip about his coarse hands and future as a blacksmith’s apprentice. This arrangement sets the pair on a course that will forever change their lives. Essential volumes for the shelves of every classic literature lover, the Chartwell Classics series includes beautifully presented works and collections from some of the most important authors in literary history. Chartwell Classics are the editions of choice for the most discerning literature buffs. Other titles in the Chartwell Classics Series include: The Essential Tales & Poems of Edgar Allen Poe; The Essential Tales of H.P. Lovecraft; The Federalist Papers; The Inferno; The Call of the Wild and White Fang; Moby Dick; The Odyssey; Pride and Prejudice; Grimm’s Fairy Tales; Emma; The Great Gatsby; The Secret Garden; Anne of Green Gables; The Phantom of the Opera; The Communist Manifesto and Das Kapital; The Republic; Frankenstein; Twenty Thousand Leagues Under the Sea; The Picture of Dorian Gray; Meditations; Alice’s Adventures in Wonderland and Through the Looking-Glass; A Tales of Two Cities; Beowulf; The Strange Case of Dr. Jekyll and Mr. Hyde; Adventures of Huckleberry Finn; Little Women; Wuthering Heights; Peter Pan; Persuasion; Aesop’s Fables; The Constitution of the United States and Selected Writings; Crime and Punishment; Dracula; The Alchemist; The Iliad; Irish and Fairy Folk Tales; The Legend of Sleepy Hollow; The War of the Worlds;and The Time Machine and The Invisible Man.

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"The most consistent of all series in terms of language control, length, and quality of story." David R. Hill, Director of the Edinburgh Project on Extensive Reading.

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HarperCollins is proud to present its new range of best-loved, essential classics. 'It was the best of times, it was the worst of times…' A Tale of Two Cities is arguably the greatest story of mistaken identity ever told, interweaving a heart-breaking family tragedy with the bloody French Revolution. Dr Manette is released from imprisonment in the Bastille and is reunited with his daughter, Lucie. Two men – an apathetic English lawyer and an exiled French aristocrat – vie for her love in a time of uncertainty, sacrifice and terror. Self-proclaimed by Dickens as ‘the best story I have ever written’, A Tale of Two Cities is an enduring epic of historical fiction.

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Charles Dickens died half way through writing The Mystery of Edwin Drood, and ever since speculation has been rife as to how the tale might have unfolded. For this intriguing two-part adaptation for BBC2, for prime-time January 2012, acclaimed screenwriter Gwyneth Hughes (Five Days, Miss Austen Regrets) scoured the text for clues indicating how the great author might have finished this masterpiece, and has drawn from those leads a seamless, compelling and surprisingly modern story of obsessive love, betrayal and murder. This tie-in edition of Dickens's unfinished text will also include an Afterword by Gwyneth Hughes, offering her own conclusion, and revealing how she knitted the strands from the original plot and her own work together to bring the book to a satisfying close.Key cast list: Matthew Rhys (Brothers & Sisters) as John Jasper; Rory Kinnear (Hamlet, Women In Love, Lennon Naked) as Reverend Septimus Crisparkle; Freddie Fox (Worried About The Boy, The Shadow Line) as Edwin Drood; Tamzin Merchant (Jane Eyre, Miranda, The Tudors) plays Rosa Bud; Alun Armstrong (New Tricks, Garrow's Law) as Hiram Grewgious, Rosa's guardian; Julia McKenzie (Cranford, Miss Marple) plays the Reverend's mother, Mrs Crisparkle; David Dawson (Luther, The Road To Coronation Street) as Bazzard; Ron Cook (Little Dorrit) as Durdles; Sacha Dhawan (Five Days 2) as Neville Landless; Amber Rose Revah (House Of Saddam) plays Helena Landless, Neville's twin sister; Ian McNeice (Doctor Who) as Mayor Sapsea; Janet Dale (Holby; Casualty) as Miss Twinkleton; Ellie Haddington (Luther) as Princess Puffer; and young Alfie Davis plays Deputy.

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In the summer of 1844, taking a break from novel-writing, the thirty-two-year-old Charles Dickens embarked on a journey to Italy with his wife, his five children and his young sister-in-law. Struck by the scenery and the rapid diorama of monuments and novelties around him, the celebrated author of Oliver Twist and A Christmas Carol captured his experiences and impressions in vivid detail. The result is a travelogue like no other, written by one of the finest writers of all time. Abounding in colour and humour, and interspersed with unforgettable set pieces, such as an eyewitness account of the beheading of a robber in Rome and a hilarious description of a tour guide’s ruinous tumble down the slope of Mount Vesuvius, Pictures from Italy is further proof of Charles Dickens’s genius and versatility.

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2012 is the two-hundredth anniversary of the birth of one of our greatest and most important novelists, Charles Dickens. To celebrate we''re publishing six of his works in this exclusive and sumptuous boxed set of lavish, clothbound editions, designed by Penguin''s own award-winning Coralie Bickford-Smith.Part of Penguin''s beautiful hardback Clothbound Classics series, designed by the award-winning Coralie Bickford-Smith, these delectable and collectible editions are bound in high-quality colourful, tactile cloth with foil stamped into the design.

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Young Philip Pirrip, nicknamed Pip, is meant to become an apprentice for his brother-in-law, a poor blacksmith. But his destiny changes upon meeting three unusual people: an escaped convict, a tragic woman, and a captivating young girl. Pip’s life is altered in an instant when a secret benefactor gives him a large sum of money. Pip has “great expectations” for his new life as successful and wealthy life as a young gentleman. Has his life actually changed for the better . . . or for the worse?

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Examination: English Language & Literature Specification: GCSE 9-1 Set Text covered: A Christmas Carol by Charles Dickens Type: Set Text: Annotation Edition "This version of the text [Annotation Edition Texts: A Christmas Carol: Annotation Edition] is vastly superior to a simple copy of the book, double spacing and wide margins allow for the text to be annotated in detail without losing the original text, often impossible to do with other versions." Lisa Ward, English Teacher "Very easy to use, accessible for a lot of learners who have previously struggled. The spacing of the text was a feature that students particularly liked and the clear annotation." Nicola O'Donnell, English Teacher [regarding Annotation Edition Texts: Macbeth: Annotation Edition] This annotation edition of Dickens' well-known yuletide tale is perfect for students and Dickens enthusiasts alike. Scholastic Annotation Editions come with extra-wide margins and double-spaced lines, they are perfect for your annotations. They include: Large spaces between lines and large outer margins, perfect for highlighting and note-taking. Pages for note-taking in every book. A large, easy to read font and left-justified text for children who struggle to access the printed word. Top tips on effective annotation from English teacher and revision guide author, Cindy Torn. Miserly Ebenezer Scrooge is visited on Christmas Eve by the three ghosts of Christmas. They show him the joy of Christmas, and wretchedness of his own legacy. Inspired and chastened by what he has seen, Scrooge resolves to change and from then on embraces and promotes the true spirit of Christmas with kindness, generosity and warmth. Scholastic have a full suite of revision guide, study guide, app, student book, revision cards and essay planners - the most comprehensive support for GCSE set texts available!

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In a book that is part fairy tale and part thinly veiled autobiography, Dickens transmutes his life experience into a brilliant series of comic and sentimental adventures in the spirit of the great eighteenth-century novelists he so much admired. Few readers can fail to be touched by David's fate, and fewer still to be delighted by his story. The cruel Murdstone, the feckless Micawber, the unctuous and sinister Uriah Heep, and David Copperfield himself, into whose portrait Dickens puts so much of his own early life, form a central part of our literary legacy.This edition reprints the original Everyman preface by G. K. Chesterton and includes thirty-nine illustrations by Phiz.

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‘Wealth and beggary, virtue and vice, repletion and the direst hunger, all treading on each other and crowding together’Could any writer portray London better than Charles Dickens? Dickens knew the city inside out, walking the streets day and night, in all weathers, and drawing inspiration from everything he saw. The fog, the mud, the churning river, the clamour of church bells, and at every corner schemes of business or pleasure – this is Dickens’s London in the company of some of his most memorable characters.Selected from the work of Charles Dickens VINTAGE MINIS: GREAT MINDS. BIG IDEAS. LITTLE BOOKS. A series of short books by the world’s greatest writers on the experiences that make us human Also in the Vintage Minis series:Murder by Arthur Conan DoylePower by William ShakespeareIndependence by Charlotte Bronte

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The Penguin English Library Edition of Hard Times by Charles Dickens'Now, what I want is, Facts. Teach these boys and girls nothing but Facts. Facts alone are wanted in life. Plant nothing else, and root out everything else'Coketown is dominated by the figure of Mr Thomas Gradgrind, school owner and model of Utilitarian success. Feeding both his pupils and his family with facts, he bans fancy and wonder from young minds. As a consequence his obedient daughter Louisa marries the loveless businessman and 'bully of humility' Mr Bounderby, and his son Tom rebels to become embroiled in gambling and robbery. And, as their fortunes cross with those of free-spirited circus girl Sissy Jupe and victimised weaver Stephen Blackpool, Gradgrind is eventually forced to recognise the value of the human heart in an age of materialism and machinery.The Penguin English Library - 100 editions of the best fiction in the English language, from the eighteenth century and the first novels to the beginning of the First World War.

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Charles Dickens describes in Night Walks his time as an insomniac, when he decided to cure himself by walking through London in the small hours, and discovered homelessness, drunkenness and vice on the streets. This collection of essays shows Dickens as one of the greatest visionaries of the city in all its variety and cruelty.GREAT IDEAS. Throughout history, some books have changed the world. They have transformed the way we see ourselves - and each other. They have inspired debate, dissent, war and revolution. They have enlightened, outraged, provoked and comforted. They have enriched lives - and destroyed them. Now Penguin brings you the works of the great thinkers, pioneers, radicals and visionaries whose ideas shook civilization and helped make us who we are.

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'Dickens's chilling tale of murder and betrayal' Sunday Times 'The one great principle of the English law is, to make business for itself''Jarndyce and Jardyce' is an infamous lawsuit that has been in process for generations. Nobody can remember exactly how the case started but many different individuals have found their fortunes caught up in it. Esther Summerson watches as her friends and neighbours are consumed by their hopes and disappointments with the proceedings. But while the intricate puzzles of the lawsuit are being debated by lawyers, other more dramatic mysteries are unfolding that involve heartbreak, lost children, blackmail and murder.

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Part of Penguin's beautiful hardback Clothbound Classics series, designed by the award-winning Coralie Bickford-Smith, these delectable and collectible editions are bound in high-quality colourful, tactile cloth with foil stamped into the design. After reading Christmas Carol, the notoriously reculsive Thomas Carlyle was "seized with a perfect convulsion of hospitality" and threw not one but two Christmas dinner parties. The impact of the story may not always have been so dramatic but, along with Dickens other Christmas writings, it has had a lasting and significant influence upon our ideas about the Christmas spirit, and about the season as a time for celebration, charity, and memory.

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A Christmas Carol is the most famous, heart-warming and chilling festive story of them all. In these pages we meet Ebenezer Scrooge, whose name is synonymous with greed and parsimony: 'Every idiot who goes about with "Merry Christmas" on his lips, should be boiled with his own pudding, and buried with a stake of holly through his heart'. This attitude is soon challenged when the ghost of his old partner, Jacob Marley, returns from the grave to haunt him on Christmas Eve. Scrooge is then visited in turn by three spirits of Christmas Past, Present and Future, each one revealing the error of his ways and gradually melting the frozen heart of this old miser, leading him towards his redemption. On the journey we take with Scrooge we encounter a rich array of Dickensian characters including the poor Cratchit family with the ailing Tiny Tim and the generous and jolly Fezziwig. When Charles Dickens wrote A Christmas Carol in 1843 he fashioned an enduring gift to the world, capturing the essence of the love, kindness and generosity of the Christmas season. It is a timeless classic and the story's uplifting magic remains as potent today as when it was first published.

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A set of 6 much-loved stories from classic English literature for children, brought together by Puffin Classics in beautiful paperback cover designs.The classic story of a young boy who seeks his fortune on the streets of London.After Oliver Twist asks nasty Mr Bumble for more food, he has to flee the workhouse for the streets of London. Here he meets the Artful Dodger, who leads him to Fagin and his gang of pickpockets. When a thieving mission goes wrong, Oliver narrowly avoids prison and finds himself in the care of kind Mr Brownlow. But Fagin and the brutal Bill Sikes go in search of the young orphan, determined to drag him back . . .In the same collection:PETER PANTHE GREAT ADVENTURES OF SHERLOCK HOLMESALICE'S ADVENTURES IN WONDERLANDFIVE CHILDREN AND ITGULLIVER'S TRAVELS

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When an essay is due and dreaded exams loom, here's the lit-crit help students need to succeed! SparkNotes Literature Guides make studying smarter, better, and faster. They provide chapter-by-chapter analysis, explanations of key themes, motifs and symbols, a review quiz and essay topics. Lively and accessible, SparkNotes is perfect for late-night studying and paper writing.

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Puffin Classics: the definitive collection of timeless stories, for every child. I will honour Christmas in my heart, and try to keep it all the year.Ebenezer Scrooge is a mean, miserable, bitter old man with no friends. One cold Christmas Eve, three ghosts take him on a scary journey to show him the error of his nasty ways. By visiting his past, present and future, Scrooge learns to love Christmas and the people all around him.A Christmas Carol has become a a true holiday classic, and is a powerful and uplifting story of redemption for all ages. 'The resonance of A Christmas Carol seems to get stronger every year' - The Guardian

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"Charles Dickens, Francais naturalise, et Citoyen de Paris." This is how Dickens signed a letter from France to his friend John Forster in 1847. Behind the joke lay a fascination for French life and culture and a sense of affinity with the country that would take him back often and that would find expression in some of his finest work. "Dickens on France" brings together short stories, extracts from novels and travel writing. Among its journalistic highlights, are accounts of a train journey from London to Paris, a rough Channel crossing, the pleasures of Boulogne, and Parisian life in the 1850s and 1860s. Extracts from the travelogue Pictures from Italy, take us by coach from Paris to Marseille. The selected short stories include "His Boots", a section of "Mrs Lirriper's Legacy" and "The Boy at Mugby", and there are extracts from "A Tale of Two Cities", "Little Dorrit", "Dombey and Son", "Nicholas Nickleby", and "Our Mutual Friend". Dickens was interested primarily in the character of places he visited, the behaviour of people he observed in them, and in the sensation and psychology of travelling. These preoccupations keep the writing fresh and accessible. It requires no leap through time to appreciate his musings on his fellow passengers, his reflections on sitting in a Paris cafe, his random exploration of city streets or small country towns, or his opposition to cultural bigotry. Infused with energy, perception and open-mindedness, this collection vividly evokes life in France and Britain in the nineteenth century and reminds us, however much progress we make, how little we change. "Dickens on France" is extensively annotated to provide historical and autobiographical contexts, and to highlight literary and other allusions. Brief chapter introductions and a general introduction to the volume, highlight key aspects of the selections and discuss the nature of Dickens's enduring relationship with France.

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Marley’s ghost, Bob Cratchit’s slide down icy Cornhill, Mr and Mrs Fezziwig’s dance, and of course Ebenezer Scrooge himself, are all exquisitely illustrated in this luxury collector’s edition of Charles Dickens’s perennial seasonal favourite. Arthur Rackham’s colour wash drawings and silhouettes, first published during the First World War, bring a threatening and haunting atmosphere to Scrooge’s story, which contrasts wonderfully with the gifts and games of Belle’s household. Rackham was a leading illustrator in the golden age of book illustration, when groundbreaking techniques for colour printing were developing fast. He illustrated over sixty books and specialized in children’s classics and fairy tales. This landmark edition helped to consolidate the idea of the Dickensian Christmas and the tradition of the Christmas gift book. It is a beautiful version of a classic story, which never ceases to be relevant to our times.

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Little treasures, the FLAME TREE COLLECTABLE CLASSICS are chosen to create a delightful and timeless home library. Each stunning, gift edition features deluxe cover treatments, ribbon markers, luxury endpapers and gilded edges. The unabridged text is accompanied by a Glossary of Victorian and Literary terms produced for the modern reader. Oliver Twist dares to ask for more food, and with this a character was created that would be loved the world over and whose story would be adapted into countless television, film, theatre and film productions. For anyone wishing to read the works of the great Charles Dickens, Oliver Twist should be top of the list. The novel cemented Dickens’ growing reputation as a writer, continuing with the themes that readers expected of him – poverty, desperation and heroism in the face of adversity.

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Little treasures, the FLAME TREE COLLECTABLE CLASSICS are chosen to create a delightful and timeless home library. Each stunning, gift edition features deluxe cover treatments, ribbon markers, luxury endpapers and gilded edges. The unabridged text is accompanied by a Glossary of Victorian and Literary terms produced for the modern reader. A complex and profound book, The Tale of Two Cities explores the consequences of tyranny, fate and self-sacrifice. With much of the narrative played out in Paris, during the French Revolution Dickens examines the interplay between personal action, and the flow of history. Dr Manette, having travelled to Paris finds himself imprisoned in the Bastille for 18 brutal years, unable to see his kind and loving daughter Lucy. On his eventual return to London the two of them become witnesses in a treason case against Charles Darney who is accused of giving secrets to the French. Lucy finds a way of exonerating him, Darney falls in love with her and by some strange twist of fate he finally reveals the terrible secret that his own uncle was responsible for Manette's years in the Bastille. Manette is shocked but eventually persuaded by Darney's sincerity and true love for this daughter, so he allows them to marry, bringing happiness finally to them all.

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Little treasures, the FLAME TREE COLLECTABLE CLASSICS are chosen to create a delightful and timeless home library. Each stunning, gift edition features deluxe cover treatments, ribbon markers, luxury endpapers and gilded edges. The unabridged text is accompanied by a Glossary of Victorian and Literary terms produced for the modern reader. Dicken's cast of characters, from the orphan Pip, Miss Haversham and Estella to the aptly named Magwitch takes the reader through a Victorian society riven with social ills, and misplaced ambition. Pip, a blacksmith's apprentice encounters and helps the escaped convict Magwitch who subsequently repays the boy with a secret fortune. Pip misunderstands the source of elevation, thinking it comes from the high society of Miss Haversham and her cold-hearted daughter whom he adores. His wilfull naivety is exposed throughout as Estella's disdain for Pip makes him try ever harder, to the detriment of `joe Gargery and Mrs Joe, the good people who raised him in poverty at the forge. Ultimately Miss Haversham burns to death in a fire and Magwitch dies in prison leaving a chastened Pip without his fortune. At the end all is resolved when finally he wins Estella's heart.

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All my life they looked down on me, always cursing and abusing. But you, you will be different! Bengal, 1903. Rumours that the British Empire plans to partition Bengal spread and uncertainty is never far away. For one Indian boy destiny is found on the banks of the River Padma before the Goddess Lakshmi. Here a promise is made. Born out of terror or kindness the choice Pipli makes that night will shape his life forever. In Tanika Gupta’s adaptation of Charles Dickens’ Great Expectations, Pipli moves from his home in Rajshahi to the bustling streets of Calcutta. With an open heart he navigates unforgiving darkness and unsettling friendships in his search for a better future. For Pipli, dharma – the right way of living, is never far away. This edition was published to coincide with the production by Tamasha in September, 2023.

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It's Christmas Eve. As the cold, bleak night draws in, the penny-pinching Ebenezer Scrooge is confronted by the spirit of his former business partner, Jacob Marley. Bound in chains as punishment for a lifetime of greed, the unearthly figure explains it isn't too late for Scrooge to change his miserly ways in order to escape the same fate. But first he'll have to face three more eerie encounters... Mark Gatiss' spine-tingling adaptation is faithful to the heart and spirit of Charles Dickens' much-loved festive ghost story – with an emphasis on the ghostly. Commissioned by Nottingham Playhouse, the adaptation premiered there in 2021, starring Nicholas Farrell alongside Gatiss, and directed by the theatre's Artistic Director, Adam Penford. A Christmas Carol – A Ghost Story subsequently transferred to Alexandra Palace Theatre, London, produced by Eleanor Lloyd Productions and Eilene Davidson Productions.

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Charles Dickens’ timeless story is brought to life in this vibrant new version by the award-winning playwright Neil Duffield. Christmas, the most wonderful time of the year! Well, it is for everyone except the miserable Scrooge. He prefers to spend Christmas all alone in his large house, instead of celebrating with mistletoe and merriment. Bah, humbug! But one cold, dark Christmas Eve Scrooge is surprised by the ghost of Marley, his former business partner. Marley warns Scrooge that he will be called upon by three spirits - each will take him on a mysterious and magical journey to show him the error of his ways... Can Scrooge discover the true wonder and meaning of Christmas before it’s too late?

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In the mid-nineteenth century, the great age of railway building, Charles Dickens could not but be aware of their transformative impact on society. So he wrote about it - to a remarkable extent. He wrote a classic ghost story, 'The Signalman'; in Dombey and Son about what is now the West Coast Main Line being carved through north London in great ravines. He wrote satirical pieces about railway catering - even back then; about the wonder of express train travel to the Channel ports; travel pieces about exploring America by train - and about being personally involved in the notorious Staplehurst train crash in Kent. Now, in the year of Dickens' 150th anniversary, Tony Williams, a distinguished Dickens scholar, collects all these railway writings into a handsome little volume ideal for a long train journey...

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Christmas would not be the same without the most famous Christmas story ever written. A Christmas Carol in Prose, Being a Ghost Story of Christmas, commonly shortened to A Christmas Carol, is a true classic. Its central character, Ebeneezer Scrooge, is the meanest, most miserly and most miserable person in the whole world. However, he is surrounded by many other characters who veritably bubble over with life, warmth and the cheery spirit of Christmas. These include Bob Cratchit, the kindest and most forgiving of men, and various 'ghosts of Christmas' who come to visit Scrooge in the night and endeavour to show him the error of his ways...but will he heed their lessons?

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This beautiful hardback Ladybird Classic edition of Oliver Twist by Charles Dickens is a perfect first illustrated introduction to the classic story for younger readers.It has been sensitively abridged and retold to make it suitable for sharing with young children from 5+, whilst retaining all the key parts of Oliver's adventures around Victorian London, including tangles with Fagin and his gang of thieves, pretty Nancy, kind-hearted Mr Brownlow and villainous Bill Sikes. Detailed full-colour illustrations throughout also help to bring Dickens' Oliver Twist to life. Other exciting titles in the Ladybird Classics series include Alice in Wonderland, Black Beauty, The Secret Garden, Gulliver's Travels and Treasure Island.

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The editor has corrected printers’ errors and annotated unfamiliar terms and allusions. Three illustrations by George Cruikshank and a map of Oliver's London accompany the text. "Backgrounds and Sources" focuses on The Poor Law Amendment Act of 1834, central both to Dickens and to the characters in Oliver Twist. The act’s far-reaching implications are considered in source materials that include parlimentary debates on The Poor Laws, a harrowing account of an 1835 Bedfordshire riot, and "An Appeal to Fallen Women," Dickens’ 1847 open letter to London’s prostitutes urging them to turn their backs on "debauchery and neglect." Ten letters on Oliver Twist, written between 1837 and 1864, are reprinted, including those to the novel’s publisher, the novel’s illustrator, and John Forster, Dickens’ close friend and future biographer. In addition, readers can trace the evolution of the novel by examining Dickens’ installment and chapter-division plans and enjoy "Sikes and Nancy," the text of a public reading Dickens composed and performed often to large audiences. "Early Reviews" provides eight witty, insightful, and at times impassioned responses to the novel and to Oliver’s plight by William Makepeace Thackeray and John Forster (anonymously), among others. "Criticism" includes twenty of the most significant interpretations of Oliver Twist published in this century. Included are essays by Henry James, George Gissing, Graham Greene, J. Hillis Miller, Harry Stone, Philip Collins, John Bayley, Keith Hollingsworth, Steven Marcus, Monroe Engel, James R. Kincaid, Michael Slater, Dennis Walder, Burton M. Wheeler, Janet Larson, Fred Kaplan, Robert Tracy, David Miller, John O. Jordan, and Gary Wills. A Chronology and Selected Bibliography are also included.

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Extra grammar and vocabulary exercises Notes about the story Notes about Charles Dickens Points For Understanding comprehension questions Glossary of difficult vocabulary and Useful Phrases Free resources including worksheets, tests and answer keys at www.macmillanenglish.com/readers Audio download and ebook available to buy for this title

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'Where is my nephew?, asked Mr Jasper, wildly. 'Where is your nephew?' repeated Neveille. 'Why do you ask me?' 'I ask you,' retorted Jasper, 'because you were the last person in his company, and he is not to be found.' The Mystery of Edwin Drood, Dickens's last novel, lay unfinished at his death. Speculation remains rife as to its probably conclusion; evidence suggests that, fascinated as Dickens was by details of the plotting, his basic concern was for character and appropriate setting, in particular the character of the hero-villain, Jasper. The ancient city of Cloisterham, its cathedral a reminder of mortality, human frailty, and the lawful life, is an effective background for what Dickens daughter called a tale of 'the tragic secrets of the human heart'. Humour is provided by a host of characters ranging fro Mr Grewgious, the admirable though eccentric lawyer, and Miss Twinkleton, guardian of the Young Ladies' Seminary, to Durdles, the hard-drinking stonemason, and Deputy, the irreverent lodging-house boy. This edition contains Dickens's working plans for the novel, and the text is that of the authoritative Clarendon edition. ABOUT THE SERIES: For over 100 years Oxford World's Classics has made available the widest range of literature from around the globe. Each affordable volume reflects Oxford's commitment to scholarship, providing the most accurate text plus a wealth of other valuable features, including expert introductions by leading authorities, helpful notes to clarify the text, up-to-date bibliographies for further study, and much more.

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'Perhaps his best novel ... when Dickens wrote Bleak House he had grown up' G. K. ChestertonAs the interminable case of Jarndyce and Jarndyce grinds its way through the Court of Chancery, it draws together a disparate group of people: Ada Clare and Richard Carstone, whose inheritance is gradually being devoured by legal costs; Esther Summerson, a ward of court; the menacing lawyer Tulkinghorn; the determined sleuth Inspector Bucket; and even Jo, a destitute crossing-sweeper. A savage indictment of a society that is rotten to the core, Bleak House is one of Dickens's most ambitious novels, with a range that extends from the drawing-rooms of the aristocracy to the London slums.Edited with an Introduction and Notes by Nicola Bradbury with a Preface by Terry Eagleton

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'Teach these boys and girls nothing but Facts. Facts alone are wanted in life. Plant nothing else, and root out everything else'Dickens's novel honouring the value of the human heart in an age of materialism centres on Coketown, where Mr Thomas Gradgrind, school owner and model of Utilitarian success, feeds his pupils and his family with facts, banning fancy and wonder from young minds. As a consequence his obedient daughter Louisa becomes trapped in a loveless marriage, and his son Tom rebels to become embroiled in crime. As their fortunes cross with those of a free-spirited circus girl and a victimized weaver, Gradgrind is forced to question everything he believes in.Edited with an Introduction and notes by KATE FLINT

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