«This is the «Penguin English Library Edition» of «Oliver Twist» by Charles Dickens. A parish child — the orphan of a workhouse — the humble, half-starved drudge — to be cuffed and buffeted through the world, despised by all, and pitied by none. Dark, mysterious and mordantly funny, «Oliver Twist» features some of the most memorably drawn villains in all of fiction — the treacherous gangmaster Fagin, the menacing thug Bill Sikes, the Artful Dodger and their den of thieves in the grimy London backstreets. Dicken's novel is both an angry indictment of poverty, and an adventure filled with an air of threat and pervasive evil. «The Penguin English Library» — 100 editions of the best fiction in English, from the eighteenth century and the very first novels to the beginning of the First World War.»

Shows how a young man's life is transformed by a mysterious series of events — an encounter with an escaped prisoner; a visit to a black-hearted old woman and a beautiful girl; a fortune from a secret donor.

Chronicles David Copperfield's extraordinary journey through life, as he encounters villains, saviours, eccentrics and grotesques, including the wicked Mr Murdstone, stout-hearted Peggotty, formidable Betsey Trotwood, impecunious Micawber and odious Uriah Heep.

HarperCollins is proud to present its incredible range of best-loved, essential classics. It was a town of red brick, or of brick that would have been red if the smoke and ashes had allowed it; but as matters stood, it was a town of unnatural red and black like the painted face of a savage. Set in fictitious Coketown, England during the Industrial Revolution of the 1850s, Dickens wished to expose the enormous gulf between the rich and poor through his writing. In Hard Times, the social and moral purpose of his work is at its most evident. Openly ironic and satirical in its tone, Dickens suggests a mechanization of society, where the wealthy are ruthless and uncharitable towards those less fortunate than themselves. Siblings Louisa and Tom Gradgrind are raised by their father, a harsh and pragmatic educator and his influence means that they go on to lead lives that are lacking in all areas. Louisa marries the arrogant and greedy Josiah Bounderby, ending in an unhappy pairing and the unfeeling and villainous Tom robs his own brother-in-law's bank. As their father watches their plight, he realises that his own principles may have led to their downfall.

Every idiot who goes around with 'Merry Christmas' on his lips, should be boiled with his own pudding . Charles Dickens' tale of Ebenezer Scrooge, who is haunted by three spirits and learns the true meaning of Christmas has had, along with Dickens' other Christmas writings, a lasting and significant influence upon our ideas about the season as a time for celebration, charity and memory. The Penguin English Library — 100 editions of the best fiction in English, from the eighteenth century and the very first novels to the beginning of the First World War.

'The earth was made for Dombey and Son to trade in, and the sun and moon were made to give them light'. Dombey and Son is both a firm and a family and the ambiguous connection between public and private life lies at the heart of Dickens' novel. Paul Dombey is a man who runs his domestic affairs as he runs his business: calculatingly, callously, coldly and commercially. Through his dysfunctional relationships with his son, his two wives, and his neglected daughter Florence, Dickens paints a vivid picture of the limitations of a society dominated by commercial values and the drive for profit and explores the possibility of moral and emotional redemption through familial love. The Penguin English Library — 100 editions of the best fiction in English, from the eighteenth century and the very first novels to the beginning of the First World War.

'In the wakeful misery of the night, girded by sordid realities, or wandering through Paradises and Hells of visions... I loved you madly'. Dickens' last novel is a mystery built around a presumed crime — the murder of a nephew by his uncle. Dickens died before completing the story, leaving the mystery unsolved and encouraging successive generations of readers to turn detective. Beyond the preoccupying fact of this intriguing crime, however, the novel also offers readers a characteristically Dickensian mix of the fantastical world of the imagination and a vibrantly journalistic depiction of gritty reality. The Penguin English Library — 100 editions of the best fiction in English, from the eighteenth century and the very first novels to the beginning of the First World War.

Celebrate the bicentenary of Dickens' birth with this beautiful gift edition of Oliver Twist Charles Dickens' Oliver Twist is one of the best-loved stories ever written. The story of the young orphan is as powerful now as when it was first published over a century ago. The text in this edition has been carefully abridged so that it is accessible to younger readers and retains both the drama and the humour of the original. Throughout, Christian Birmingham's exquisite illustrations enhance the story and bring to life the amazing range of colourful characters. With a foreword from Michael Morpurgo.

Bah Humbug! That's how Ebeneezer Scrooge feels about Christmas — until the Ghosts of Christmas Past, Present, and Future decide to show the crotchety old miser the error of his ways. Together they travel through time, revisiting all the people who have played an important role in Scrooge's life. And as their journey concludes, Scrooge is reminded of what it means to have love in his heart, and what the true spirit of Christmas is all about. A timeless story the whole family will enjoy!

If you love a good story, then look no further. Oxford Children's Classics bring together the most unforgettable stories ever told. They're books to treasure and return to again and again. When Oliver Twist asks for more food it changes his life for ever. He flees his dreary life in the workhouse but enters a much more dangerous place-the dark streets of London. Oliver is soon in the clutches of Fagin and his gang of pickpockets, before eventually finding a true friend. But his happiness is short-lived as Fagin and the violent Bill Sykes are determined to drag Oliver back into a life of crime...

Dickens' delightful Christmas writings are presented in this gorgeous new hardback edition. 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.

Thomas Gradgrind believes that facts and money are more important than feelings and imagination. After Cissy Jupe a circus child is left alone in the world, Gradgrind takes her into his house, looking after her and teaching her facts with his own children Tom and Louisa. Some years later the Gradgrind family meets hard times. Louisa becomes a prisoner in a loveless marriage, and Tom has problems at work. In the end, Thomas Gradgrind learns the importance of feelings and imagination.

Hard Times--Dickens's shortest novel and one of his triumphs--tells the tragic story of Louisa Gradgrind and her father and has had lasting appeal to generations of readers.

«In 1844, Charles Dickens took a break from novel writing to travel through Italy for almost a year and «Pictures from Italy» is an illuminating account of his experiences there. He presents the country like a magic-lantern show, as vivid images ceaselessly appear before his — and his readers' — eyes. Italy's most famous sights are all to be found here — St Peter's in Rome, Naples, with Vesuvius smouldering in the background, the fairytale buildings and canals of Venice — but Dickens's chronicle is not simply that of a tourist. Avoiding preconceptions and stereotypes, he portrays a nation of great contrasts: between grandiose buildings and squalid poverty, and between past and present, as he observes everyday life beside ancient monuments. Combining thrilling travelogue with piercing social commentary, «Pictures from Italy» is a revealing depiction of an exciting and disquieting journey.»

Charles Dickens was the most famous of many travelers of his time who journeyed to America, curious about the revolutionary new civilization that had captured the English imagination. His frank, often humorous descriptions in his 1842 account cover everything from his uncomfortable sea voyage to an ecstatic narrative of his visit to Niagara Falls. Yet Dickens is also critical of American society, its preoccupation with money, and reliance on slavery, as well as the rude, unsavory manners of Americans and their corrupt press. Above all, American Notes is a lively chronicle of what was for Dickens an illuminating encounter with the New World.

This is a beloved tale that will make the perfect present! Unabridged Classics are aimed at ages 10 years upwards with more than 330,000 copies sold! This is the unabridged story with insightful questions for discussion, fantastic artwork, a ribbon marker and high-quality paper. Beloved in Christmases past and sure to remain a favourite in Christmases of the future, Dickens' popular holiday tale is the perfect Christmas present. The uplifting tale follows the mysterious and magical events that transform the miserly, miserable Ebenezer Scrooge into 'as good a friend, as good a master, and as good a man' as ever lived.

Walker Illustrated Classics is a new series which brings together some of the best-loved stories ever told, illustrated by some of today's finest artists. These exquisitely designed books, with their magnificent words and glorious pictures, are a pleasure to read — and reread. The classics have never looked so good! Dickens' ghostly tale of Ebenezer Scrooge has become as much a part of Christmas as trees and stockings, plum pudding and mistletoe. First published in 1843, this lavish, unabridged new edition resonates with the true spirit of Christmas. It is superbly illustrated by P J Lynch whose detailed, atmospheric artwork brings Dickensian London vividly alive.

Following his father's death John Harmon returns to London to claim his inheritance, but he finds he is eligible only if he marries Bella Wilfur. To observe her character he assumes another identity and secures work with his father's foreman, Mr Boffin, who is also Bella's guardian. Disguise and concealment play an important role in the novel and individual identity is examined within the wider setting of London life: in the 1860s the city was aflame with spiralling financial speculation while thousands of homeless scratched a living from the detritus of the more fortunate-indeed John Harmon's father has amassed his wealth by recycling waste. This edition includes extensive explanatory notes and significant manuscript variants.

What dark history is this? This is the question that hangs over Dickens's brooding novel of mayhem and murder in the eighteenth century. Set in London at the time of the anti-Catholic Gordon Riots, Barnaby Rudge tells a story of individuals caught up in the mindless violence of the mob. Lord George Gordon's dangerous appeal to old religious prejudices is interwoven with the murder mystery surrounding the father of the simple-minded Barnaby. The discovery of the murderer and his involvement in the riots put Barnaby's life in jeopardy. Culminating in the terrifying destruction of Newgate prison by the rampaging hordes, the descriptions of the riots are among Dickens's most powerful. Written at a time of social unrest in Victorian Britain, Barnaby Rudge explores the relationship between repression and liberation in private and public life. It looks forward to the dark complexities of Dickens's later novels, whose characters also seek refuge from a chaotic and unstable world.

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