Product Description
From a bitter childhood mired in poverty and hard work to a career as the most acclaimed and best loved writer in the English-speaking world, Charles Dickens had a life as tumultuous as any he created in his teeming novels of life in Victorian England. And no one has captured the rich texture of his life as colorfully and persuasively as Fred Kaplan in this acclaimed biography. 107 illustrations. ... Read more

Customer Reviews (9)

All You Need to Know

All you need to know about Charles Dickens is here.Fred Kaplan has given us a well-rounded look at the literary lion in his natural habitat.What more could we ask for, except to savor - anew or again - another of Boz's novels?

We appreciate Dickens because he loves all of his characters so completely - even the most irredeemable ones.With Kaplan's book, we find that Dickens himself is one of his best creations.

Well-written, well-researched, scholarly work
The key word is "scholarly." If you want the run-of-the-mill pulp bio, you won't find it here. What you will find is a treasure of information on Dickens and his life. I have read every major biography of Dickens, and Kaplan's work is by far the best. I don't know how others could call it "boring," for I couldn't put it down.If you need your biographies "punched up," perhaps you should try Ackroyd's bio, which is more colorful but also more rambling. This is solid work, from a solid researcher.

worse then boring
two stars due to the tons of information, but way too much that is strangely disconnected from Dickens' vibrant writing and his nearly frantic appreciation of life. Reading this (many passagesyou have to skip through they are so deadly), it's as though Kaplan waded through all of Dickens' writings even though not one of the novels struck a chord and really got to him. And there's that deadly present tense, i.e. Dickens goes here instead of went, writes to Forster instead of wrote; only makes it all more artificial, distant, bloodless, boring.

Too many details, not enough emotion!
This book seems to have been written by a business man and not a man of literature.I felt as though I were reading Charles Dicken's family budget diary rather than a life-history.This biography is lengthy with details that are indescribably boring.I found myself longing for more of the emotional aspects of this marvelous man's life.Kaplan writes in a dry, uninspiring style.I had 'great expectations' for this book but found those expectations dashed to pieces on the rock of boredom.

Great Bio of a Great Author
Charles Dickens is without a doubt one of my favorite authors.I have read all of his major novels (some numerous times) and many of his other works.The most important things to know about Dickens are right there in his own words.However, the man himself is a fascinating subject from his rise through a poor youth to his triumph as the most famous authors of his age or, indeed, any age.Certainly, Dickens is worthy of a well-written biography.Fortunately, there are well-done ones out there.

I had read Kaplan's book a number of years ago and recently read it again.It remains one of the best.Kaplan gives us a complete and balanced portrait of Dickens' entire life.He is sufficiently laudatory of Dickens' successes without being fawning.Additionally, he is not afraid to point out Dickens' weaknesses--as a son, husband, father, friend and author, though his weaknesses as a author are few enough.We get a real sense of Dickens as a human being.

One of the reasons I think Kaplan is so successful in his portrait is that he weaves numerous quotes from letters by Dickens and his many correspondents almost seamlessly into the text.It gives more of a feeling for Dickens as a man of his time as opposed to looking back and trying to compose a modern view of him.I also like the way Kaplan shows Dickens as an acute observer who integrated people and places he knew into his fiction.There are risks in reading a novel too biographically but it is interesting to try to pin down an author's inspirations and themes.Kaplan handles this quite well but he doesn't go into any of the novels in depth so someone unfamiliar with Dickens' books might have trouble in some places.

Overall, Kaplan finds an nice balance between depth and readability.He is able to pack a lot into 556 pages.Anyone with an interest in Dickens would be foolish not to read one of the best biographies of the man in print. ... Read more

Product Description
Based on the author s own tumultuous journey from boy to man, this epic traces David s progress from his mother s sheltering arms to the miseries of boarding-school and sweatshop and the rewards of friendship, romance, and self-discovery in his vocation as a writer. David Copperfield reflects Dickens view of existence as a mixture of laughter and tears, with laughter uppermost. Recommended in Laura Berquist British Literature, Seton English Grade 10, Seton Grade 10Author: Charles DickensFormat: 736 pages, paperbackPublisher: DoverISBN: 0-486-43665-9 ... Read more

Customer Reviews (1)

Love this Book
I recommend this book to anyone. If you don't like to read you will enjoy reading this book. ... Read more

Product Description

Customer Reviews (5)

Enchanting
I'm reading "The Haunting of Charles Dickens" and I've been enchanted since page 1.The illustrations are beautiful and so is the story.The book is written for young adults but that doesn't mean everyone can't enjoy it.I can't wait for my breaks at work so I can get immersed in the story again.I read Steinbeck's Ghost and fell in love with it and I already feel the same about this book.It's a smart, interesting and honest novel for all to enjoy, young and old.I definitely recommend it.

Page Turning Perfections
Sometimes there are stories that are in my mind that I want to read, but know not within what pages they lie. As soon as I began this book, I knew it was one of those stories I'd been searching for a long time.

This book is so wonderful on so many levels that it's hard to know where to begin praising it. But I'll start with what is always the make or break for me and that is character. The main character, twelve year old Meg, is one of those characters you don't want to leave off and keeps you reading. She's smart, courageous, and altogether real. I love when the child characters are real heros in middle grade novels.

The story moves at great pace, always leaving the reader wanting to push ahead. The central mystery is full of adventure that unravels perfectly. And the book never talks down to the reader.

I also think the themes of this book are incredibly relevant to our world. In many ways, I think our world has reverted to the industrial and corporate greed of Dickens time. Child labor is as much a problem today as it was in Victorian times. It's important for children today to be reminded of the cruelty that comes with this practice, especially when the very same practice is partially responsible for most of us to have cheap electronics and clothing.

There isn't anybody I wouldn't recommend this book to.

Quite Dull and Heavy-Handed
Possible Spoilers (but that doesn't matter...)

I love books about books, authors and the act of reading. "The Book Thief" and "The Guernsey Literary and Potato Peel Pie Society" are two recent examples of books that successfully incorporate the theme of books into their respective narratives. This book, however, fails to do so. The literary references abound to the degree that the reader feels like he's being beaten to death by them. The real setting of the story and the "coincidental" ties to Dickens' novels really never come together and the reader is left more perplexed than anything. The story suppossedly takes place just after the publication of "Great Expectations" (1861), but the villian happens to be named Bill Sikes? (Oliver Twist, 1837) Meg, the protagonist, has thoughts of what it would be like to live on an island with pirates and never grow up? (Peter Pan, yet to be published). Or she imagines she wins a trip to a chocolate factory for a tour (Charlie and the Chocolate Factory, yet to be published.) Seriously, Meg channels all of England's future literary masterpieces in her mind decades before the books are written? The narrative is replete with such hokey references. Mr. Buzbee even uses the famous opening line of "Pride and Prejudice" to move the narrative along! (It is a truth universally acknowledged...). The worst part is that the young adult readers to which this book is targeted won't even recognize these references. But, perhaps the book is better if one doesn't because it comes across as an insincere attempt to mash as many literary references together. On top of all this, the plot is quite dull and the writing very sloggy. I know of no young adult reader who would like this book. Instead, I would encourage them to read "Great Expectations".

Good illustrations, Very slow pacing, inaccurate
I wanted to like this book and tried to get into it several times, but I just couldn't. The pacing was incredibly slow with few reasons in the narrative to move forward, and the characters, while not particularly bad, felt a little flat and forced. The setting of Victorian London didn't come through, nor did the characters fit within that setting. In good news, the illustrations were interesting...more so than the text.
The story itself relates to the heroine's missing brother and her search for him with family friend Charles Dickens. With lots of editing, this book would have earned more stars, since the setting and overall concept was ok. As it is, it is difficult to imagine a young adult getting through the whole thing, let alone an adult.

Disappointing
Given that Dickens is my favorite author, I was eager to read this book. But despite its authenticity in use of the language and mores of the period, the book suffers from a lack of pacing. As well, the inclusion of scenes and characters from a number of Dickens's novels just doesn't work. While the author is without question a gifted writer, his use of characters that are classic to those of us familiar with the Dickens novels, simply doesn't work. These characters are reduced, made smaller as a result. Meg, the heroine of the piece, is not particularly sympathetic. She's just annoying. Mr. Dickens in this incarnation comes across as self-important, foolish, even tedious. This man could never have written the splendid books the genuine Dickens penned. The narrative is s-l-o-w.The end result is a draggy book with stilted characters. I can't imagine kids finding this book particularly enjoyable. Too bad. It was a great idea that just doesn't pan out. ... Read more

Product Description
Coming to PBS in March 2009-a MasterpieceTM Classic production of Charles Dickens's Little Dorrit

Charles Dickens 's great satire on poverty, riches, and imprisonment, Little Dorrit is the story of Arthur Clennam, a man whose kindly interest in Amy Dorrit, his mother's seamstress, assures him nothing but trouble. Her father, William Dorrit, a man of shabby grandeur, has long been imprisoned for debt in the Marshalsea. A masterly evocation of the state and psychology of imprisonment, Little Dorrit is a supreme work of Dickens's maturity. ... Read more

Customer Reviews (7)

Little Dorrit novel with footnotes but no additional commentary
This is the Penguin edition of Little Dorrit published in 2009 that was the TV miniseries edition to accompany the show on PBS TV.Penguin books has other earlier editions that included additional commentary and background material that is missing in this edition.If you wish to get the book version that includes the other material, you should look for the earlier 2003 version like this one.

Little Dorrit (Penguin Classics)

This edition lacks the following items from the 2003 Penguin version.

A Dickens Chronologyvii
Introduction xi
Further Readingxxviii
A Note on the Text xxxiii
The last plate by H.K. Browne (Phiz) that is in Chapter XXXIVGonewith the title of "The Third Volume of the Registers" (page 858)
Appendix IThe Denouement of Little Dorrit861
Appendix IIThe Number Plans863
Appendix IIIThe Marshalsea906
Appendix IVMap of London912
Appendix VRunning Headlines from the 1868 Charles Dickens Edition914

The 2009 edition does have footnotes that help to explain some of the ideas and terminology expressed in the novel like the 2003 version.It also contains the illustrations by H. K. Browne (Phiz) that came along with the first edition that was published in 1857 by Bradbury and Evans, Publishers (which I happen to have two of these leather bound copies!) EXCEPT for the very last illustration that I noted before.I also have the BBC Books edition of Little Dorrit that was published in 2008 to accompany the BBC TV broadcast of the show in the UK.That edition lacks any illustrations, introductions, background material, appendices, and footnotes found in the 2003 version, but does include an introduction by the TV miniseries screenwriter, Andrew Davies.

Little Dorrit(BBC Books)

For those unfamiliar with the storyline, it involves a young (and rather small, hence the term "little") woman who was born in a prison and still lives there when her father was jailed in a debtor's prison.Through a sheer stroke of luck, she is linked to a legacy to another family and encounters members of that family.Her own family also comes upon a great inheritance and the encounters that the two main characters experience in the novel brings focus on many of Charles Dickens' personal criticism of pre-Victorian society.The novel is over 800 pages long and has many colorful and odd characters that span the wide spectrum of human personalities and eccentricities.I watched the TV miniseries which induced me to read the novel.It has become one of my three favorite Dickens' novel (the other two being A Tale of Two Cities and Hard Times).

I gave it 4 instead of 5 stars because of the omission of material from the earlier version by Penguin Books. But if you want a more "attractive outer cover", I would recommend this edition over the earlier one.

great book
I watched the mini series before reading the book. Amy has become one of my favorite characters, her and clennam are made for each other. This book is also very relevant today too, the problems of society, poverty and greed. I have read a few of dicken's books, and he does tend to be very wordy, but still it's a great story with realistic characters.

One of Dickens' best, and they are all great.
As for this edition missing 100 pages worth of Notes, whether you care depends on whether you wish to READ the book or STUDY it.

If you wish to read the book, there are still 64 pages of Notes. About 50% is useful background information that enhances the reading experience. The other 32 pages worth are pedantic trivia and distracting interruptions.

Penguin's Worst Edtion
Like James Broadbent (see reader review), I was shocked to discover this edition of Little Dorritt was slipshod. Penguin stands for excellence.I have bought Penguins for years without regret. So imagine my surprise when the notes referred to an introduction and appendicesthat have not been reprinted here.

I assumed it was a defective book until I read James Broadbent's review.He is absolutely right:Stephen Walls's introduction and Helen Small's notes from an earlier edition have been omitted.I intend to buy that edition now.

I have discovered, however, that you can read Stephen Walls's introduction in a preview of the Penguin at Google Books:

[...]

Enjoy a Dickens classic romance!
I saw the PBS masterpiece theatre version of Little Dorritt and loved it.I wanted to get the book to answer some questions I had about the characters and situations presented.Book purchase was well worth it.I received the book promptly after my order was placed. ... Read more

Product Description
INTRODUCTION TO
A CHRISTMAS CAROL
BY G. K. CHESTERTON
There are elements about the position of Dickens in English literature which tend to make him not only heroic, but almost legendary. There is his unique appeal to the comparatively poor, who deal with stories and not story-tellers, just as children do : Pickwick is more real to them than Dickens. There is the curious mixture in his characters of what some describe as unnatural, with what all would recognise as vivid : he is the realist of unrealities. There is, chiefly, the fact that so many of his finest outbursts were concerned with special festivals, notably the Christian festival of Yule. It is no wonder that, instead of being regarded as a mere literary gentleman like Thackeray or a mere literary cad like Disraeli, he has come to be regarded vaguely as something more than a gentleman and more even than a man : as an erratic household god like Santa Claus. But there is yet another reason for this legendary atmosphere clinging

About the Publisher

Forgotten Books is a publisher of historical writings, such as: Philosophy, Classics, Science, Religion, History, Folklore and Mythology.

Forgotten Books' Classic Reprint Series utilizes the latest technology to regenerate facsimiles of historically important writings. Careful attention has been made to accurately preserve the original format of each page whilst digitally enhancing the difficult to read text. Read books online for free at www.forgottenbooks.org ... Read more

Customer Reviews (2)

Beautiful Book
As a collector of Everyman's Library, I am thrilled to purchase this volume. It includes: A Christmas Carol, The Chimes, The Cricket on the Hearth, The Battle of Life, and The Haunted Man. I look forward to reading these timeless tales this holiday season.

Thank you Everyman's Library for offering this lovely volume of Dicken's classics in your collection.

holiday winner
This collection consists of the Charles Dickens' Christmas Books, all written in the 1840s

A Christmas Carol (1843).Everyone knows the story of how Ebenezer Scrooge the miser got the Christams message from his late partner and the three ghosts.

The Chimes (1844).Porter Trotty Veck has no hope for the future on New Year's Eve until he hears the spirits of the chimes.

The Cricket on the Hearth (1845).John is much older than his wife Dot, but their marriage appears to be over when he finds evidence that makes him believe she cuckold him.John talks with the spirit of the Cricket on the Hearth whose chirping Dot says means good luck.

The Battle of Life (1846).Doctor Jeddler is a cynic, but his daughters' sacrifices for loved ones make him reconsider his scorn.

The Haunted Man and the Ghost (1848).Chemistry Professor Redlaw is tormented by his past until a ghostly twin arrives on Christmas Eve to make him forget his past; afterward any one who meets the professor also forgets their distress as he does with the Swidger and Tetterby families until Milly Swidger reverses the spell because of her goodness that comes out of a lost child

The reprint of Charles Dickens early Victorian Christmas stories will prove a delight for fans of the most famous entry, A Christmas Carol.The Cricket on the Hearth and The Haunted Man and the Ghost are somewhat similar in lessons learned to that of A Christmas Carol though with their own inspiring twists while The Chimes uses a spiritual adviser but spins quite differently.However, the most diverse is The Battle of Life, which has a rushed ending and no paranormal guru as it feels more like O'Henry's The Gift of the Magi.This is a holiday winner as all five tales showcase the works of one of the greats of literature.

Harriet Klausner
... Read more

Product Description
This is an EXACT reproduction of a book published before 1923. This IS NOT an OCR'd book with strange characters, introduced typographical errors, and jumbled words.This book may have occasional imperfections such as missing or blurred pages, poor pictures, errant marks, etc. that were either part of the original artifact, or were introduced by the scanning process. We believe this work is culturally important, and despite the imperfections, have elected to bring it back into print as part of our continuing commitment to the preservation of printed works worldwide. We appreciate your understanding of the imperfections in the preservation process, and hope you enjoy this valuable book. ... Read more

Customer Reviews (1)

Excellent commentary on American life in 1842
Charles Dickens wrote a detailed log of his trip to America--from the boat in England to his travels on early American trains.His style is very light and entertaining.If you are familiar with his novels about the dark side of London and the social problems that Dickens himself grew up with, this book is quite a contrast.He is writing the book as an Englishman for other Englishmen.

I was expecting to find a lot of satire against Americans.(His comic piece "Martin Chuzzelwit" had this).However, Dickens was very positive toward the social reforms that he saw in America.He also makes some interesting comments on seeing black slaves for the first time.

Unfortunately, he wasn't able to travel far, so his impressions of America are limited.Nonetheless, this is a book that I enjoy reading and re-reading. ... Read more

Product Description
This collection includes versions of Oliver Twist, A Tale of Two Cities, and Great Expectations. ... Read more

Customer Reviews (1)

Three Of His Best
If you want to know where the modern realist tradition began, then look no further, it all began with Dickens.He was by far one of the most excellent observers of the life around him.He was of his time, and yet he transcended his times.These three books represent some of his finest creations.A must read for any reader who wants to call themselves well read. ... Read more

Product Description
A satiric masterpiece about the allure and peril of money, Our Mutual Friend revolves around the inheritance of a dust-heap where the rich throw their trash. When the body of John Harmon, the dust-heap’s expected heir, is found in the Thames, fortunes change hands surprisingly, raising to new heights “Noddy” Boffin, a low-born but kindly clerk who becomes “the Golden Dustman.” Charles Dickens’s last complete novel, Our Mutual Friend encompasses the great themes of his earlier works: the pretensions of the nouveaux riches, the ingenuousness of the aspiring poor, and the unfailing power of wealth to corrupt all who crave it. With its flavorful cast of characters and numerous subplots, Our Mutual Friend is one of Dickens’s most complex—and satisfying—novels.Amazon.com Review
Our Mutual Friend was the last novel Charles Dickens completed and is, arguably, his darkest and most complex. The basic plot is vintageDickens: an inheritance up for grabs, a murder, a rocky romance or two,plenty of skullduggery, and a host of unforgettable secondary characters.But in this final outing the author's heroes are more flawed, his villainsmore sympathetic, and the story as a whole more harrowing and lesssentimental. The mood is set in the opening scene in which a riverman,Gaffer Hexam, and his daughter Lizzie troll the Thames searching fordrowned men whose pockets Gaffer will rifle before turning the bodyover to the authorities. On this particular night Gaffer finds a corpse thatis later identified as that of John Harmon, who was returning from abroadto claim a large fortune when he was apparently murdered and thrown intothe river.

Harmon's death is the catalyst for everything else that happens in thenovel. It seems the fortune was left to the young man on the condition thathe marry a girl he'd never met, Bella Wilfer. His death, however, brings anew heir onto the scene, Nicodemus Boffin, the kind-hearted but low-bornassistant to Harmon's father. Boffin and his wife adopt young Bella, who isdetermined to marry money, and also hire a mysterious young secretary, JohnRokesmith, who takes an uncommon interest in their ward. Not content withjust one plot, Dickens throws in a secondary love story featuring theriverman's daughter, Lizzie Hexam; a dissolute young upper-class lawyer,Eugene Wrayburn; and his rival, the headmaster Bradley Headstone. Dark asthe novel is, Dickens is careful to leaven it with secondary characters whoare as funny as they are menacing--blackmailing Silas Wegg and hisaccomplice Mr. Venus, the avaricious Lammles, and self-centered CharlieHexam. Our Mutual Friend is one of Dickens's most satisfying novels,and a fitting denouement to his prolific career. --Alix Wilber ... Read more

Customer Reviews (54)

Satisfied
The book came very promptly and was in better condition than I had even expected.

Fine writing but contrived plot
In her biography of Dickens, Jane Smiley recommends Our Mutual Friend as one of Dickens' greatest books.Smiley is correct that Dickens never wrote better prose than in his last completed novel.While fine writing is important for the reader, a well told story must accompany well written words.Unfortunately, the story of our mutual friend, John Rokesmith, disappoints for many reasons.

A man pulled out of the river Thames and falsely identified as John Harmon, a young man who would stand to inherit a great fortune, begins this overly long and convoluted novel.Julius Handford, alias John Rokesmith, alias John Harmon decides to allow the false identification to stand and watches quietly as his vast fortune goes to his father's servant Noddy Boffin.Rokesmith (Handford/Harmon) goes to work for Boffin as his private secretary to influence him and monitor his actions.Rokesmith knows he can reveal his identity at any time and claim his fortune.This plot line is central to all that happens in the novel.Unfortunately, 700 hundred pages later when the mystery of our mutual friend is finally resolved, I was most unhappy with the false and contrived conclusion of the story.

Additionally, the first 400 pages of the novel are slow going.Dickens introduces many additional characters and story lines.I waited patiently for something to happen and finally, after 400 pages, the various stories and characters came to life.At last, I said to myself, my patience is rewarded; and it was, until the final 100 hundred pages of the novel when disappointment set in for the last time.The resolution of all the various stories in the novel felt, as mentioned earlier, false and contrived to me.I will not reveal them for they are certainly spoilers for anyone reading this review who decides to read the book.

I have read all of Dickens' completed novels.I consider David Copperfield, Dickens' own favorite, to be his masterpiece.Our Mutual Friend, which as Jane Smiley says rightly, has some of Dickens' greatest writing, I group with Barnaby Rudge, Martin Chuzzlewit, Little Dorrit, and Dombey and Son, all exceptionally long books which will fail to entertain most modern readers.In my opinion Henry James was correct that Our Mutual Friend may not be considered one of Dickens' great novels.

Dickens' mind was falling apart
This is an exceptionally lousy book from Dickens. I read it and understood the words, but I didn't understand anything. It seems like there is no coherence in the book. The numerous characters are just babbling away on their own account, and I couldn't discern any logical progression of a plot. This is the last novel completed from Dickens, I seriously believe he was growing crazy or something at this point, or maybe his mind was just decomposing and falling apart?

Boring
Sadly, this book was just too boring for me to continue with.Not even the possibility of finding LOST answers can compel me to trudge on.

One of Dickens' Best, though Not Well Known
I was introduced to Dickens' work in High School via "A Tale of Two Cities".It is a great book and well known, but there are a lot of novels by Dickens that are as good or better. "Great Expectations", "Bleak House", "Oliver Twist" are excellent books, but "David Copperfield" and "Our Mutual Friend" are Dickens' best works."Our Mutual Friend" is often overlooked and it was the last Dickens book I read, because I was not aware of its existence.I actually learned of it when watching the television show, "LOST".It is my favorite or second favorite Dickens novel and I highly recommend it.I'd like to see a modern Silver Screen adaptation.

Other reviewers have mentioned that it is difficult to read Dickens and they are right.There is a lot of purple prose, especially at the beginning of many of Dickens' books.All the superfluous adjectives might make you want to stop reading.I gave up several times on "Bleak House" initially, because of this.Just skim through the purple prose if it isn't your thing.There are a lot of words that aren't in the modern lexicon, so a dictionary maybe handy.

If you like Dickens, check out the works of Alexandre Dumas and Victor Hugo.My three favorite authors. ... Read more

Product Description

Charles Dickens is one of the world's greatest and best loved writers. To read Great Expectations, A Christmas Carol, or Nicholas Nickleby is to be drawn into a society that still seems fresh and real today: nineteenth-century London with its extraordinary extremes of wealth, progress, poverty, and despair. Dickens captures it all in plots that are by turns wildly comical, wonderfully melodramatic, and tragic to the point of tears. In his writing and later, in his dramatic readings, Charles Dickens was a master showman, mesmerizing the whole world.

His novels are stuffed to bursting with unforgettable characters like Mr. Micawber, Ebineezer Scrooge, and Little Nell. Most affecting are his portraits of children abused and abandoned by the Industrial Age. David Copperfield, Oliver Twist, and Tiny Tim are mirrors that reflect the twisted values of their time.

The twists of Dickens's own life encompassed childhood suffering as well as international acclaim. When he was twelve, his father was consigned to debtors' prison and Charles to working in a blacking factory. Not twelve years later The Pickwick Papers would propel him toward literary stardom.

In their lovingly researched, incisively written biography, illustrated with a lushness and attention to period detail of which Dickens would have approved, Diane Stanley and Peter Vennema illuminate his inspirations, his impact on nations of readers, and his gleaming genius that has only brightened with time.

Customer Reviews (2)

A book you and your kids will love
I wish all biographies were this interesting ... whether they're written for adults or for kids.My 9-year-old daughter was studying the Industrial Revolution and this book was suggested as an optional assignment.We had a great time reading it together.It is so well written and beautifully illustrated, I don't think she realized she was learning!But later that evening she talked her daddy's ear off with all she'd learned about the life of Charles Dickens (it covers his childhood, his first love, his marriage and children -- lots of children! -- his writing career, his fame, his travels, and his death).The book also served to help her see what the effects of the industrial revolution were on the regular folks of London.I will look into all the other books that these authors have written.

the book review
i thought this book was really good.its a biography about the life of charles dickens.it would be great for younger kids to read. ... Read more

Product Description
Charles Dickens' fascination with ghosts and the macabre is traced to his childhood, to the grim and goulish stories told him by his nursemaid, Mary Weller, whom he referred to as Mercy, "though she had none on me." Along with the horrors of the "penny dreadful" magazine, The Terrific Register -- a publication which made Dickens' "unspeakably miserable and frightened the very wits out of my head" -- the stories recounted by Weller were so powerful as to color Dickens' imagination and shape much of the enduring fiction he created.

In this collection, Peter Haining brings together all Dickens' ghost stories -- 20 in all -- including several long tales. Here are chilling histories of coincidence, insanity and revenge. ... Read more

Customer Reviews (3)

After one a half centuries still guarantees to thrill and chill
A fascinating and lesser known side of Charles' Dickens work is his flair for ghost stories.
Dickens showed a fascination with ghosts and the macabre and was a masterpiece of this wonderful genre.
Most well known is his ghostly parable-'A Christmas Carol', of the visit to the bitter and tight fist ed miser, Ebenezer Scrooge, by three ghosts which started the tradition of 'the ghost story at Christmas'.
Other Christmas ghost stories by Dickens in this volume include ' the weird and wonderful 'Christmas Ghosts' and 'The Goblins Who Stole a Sexton'.
And another story of redemption by ghosts is 'The Haunted Man and the Ghost's Bargain'.

From the gruesome 'Captain Murderer and the Devil's Bargain' to the brilliantly humorous 'The Lawyer and the Ghost' and 'The Queer Chair'.

There is the strange twist in the adventure 'The Ghosts of the Mail' and an examination of insanity and villainy in 'A Madman's Manuscript'.
Eerie stories of revenge, bizarre coincidences and the macabre from a pioneer inmodern ghost stories, written in beautiful and penetrating English, while after one a half centuries still guarantees to thrill and chill.

Ghost Stories to last you a lifetime
Dickens is considered a genius in the area of the macabre. And it makes one consider whether genius is born to one or developed/influenced at an early age. In any case, his classic stories will never be forgotten.

This collection includes all of Dickens's 20 ghost stories which include: Captain Murderer and the Devil's Bargain; The Lawyer and the Ghost; The Queer Chair; The Ghosts of the Mail; A Madman's Manuscript; The Story of the Goblins Who Stole a Sexton; Baron Koeldwethout's Apparition; A Christmas Carol; The Haunted Man and the Ghost's Bargain; A Child's Dream of a Star; Christmas Ghosts; To Be Read At Dusk; The Ghost Chamber; The Haunted House; Mr. Testator's Visitation; The Trial for Murder; The Signal Man; Four Ghost Stories; The Portrait Painter's Story; and Well Authenticated Rappings.

The Captain
I was never a huge fan of yesterday's classics.Sometimes they come off boring to me; who knows, maybe I don't have the intellectual ability or patience to read anything published before 1920.But after reading this collection from front to back I truley understood why Charles Dickens is considered by some to be a literary genius.Scary, Witty, Clownish, Entertaining.You can't go wrong, especially with characters like CAPTAIN MURDERER, who has kept fresh within my imagintation over handfuls of years and piles of novels, as one of the most devious fiends. ... Read more

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This book comprises the Christmas stories published in the Christmas Numbers of the "Household Words" and "All the Year Round" serials published by Charles Dickens between 1852 and 1867. The 1896 edition, of which this is a reprint, includes a special Introduction and Notes on the stories themselves by Charles Dickens the Younger. These stories, while published for the Christmas audience, are for the most part, not about Christmas (the exception being "The Holly-Tree Inn"). ** That was Dickens' original intention as is shown in the letter in which Charles Dickens invited the Rev. James White to contribute "short stories supposed to be told by a family sitting round the fire. I don't care about their referring to Christmas at all, nor do I design to connect them together, otherwise than by their names." ** So, while not being about Christmas itself, the stories were written to evoke the spirit of Christmas when read, or read aloud. ** Included in this book are: "The Poor Relation's Story", "The Child's Story", "The Schoolboy's Story", "Nobody's Story", "The Seven Poor Travelers", "The Holly-tree", "The Wreck of the Golden Mary", "The Perils of Certain English Prisoners", "Going into Society", "The Haunted House", "A Message from the Sea", "Tom Tiddler's Ground, Somebody's Luggage", "Mrs. Lirriper's Lodgings", "Mrs. Lirriper's Legacy", "Doctor Marigold", "Mugby Junction", and "No Thoroughfare". ** The second chapters in "The Wreck of the Golden Mary" and "The Perils of Certain English Prisoners", the fourth chapter of "A Message from the Sea", and the second Act of "No Thoroughfare" were written by Wilkie Collins; the second and third chapters of "A Message from the Sea", and the first and fourth Acts of "No Thoroughfare" were written by both Wilkie Collins and Charles Dickens; and the rest of the stories in this volume were written by Charles Dickens.** Includes the original 16 illustrations. ... Read more

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Customer Reviews (2)

great read, learned things about Dickens I didn't know--and I've read a lot on Dickens.
A really good biography about the young Charles Dickens and how the events in his childhood molded the man he became.I learned things about him, his penchant for moving furniture around all the time, his going on about falling in love with everyone from the Queen to some teen-aged girl until his friends were fairly sick of it.It is a book well worth the read, especially for people who've already done a lot of reading on Dickens.

Approachable, Enjoyable Biography
I really enjoyed this easy-to-read biography of Dickens which focuses on how the events of his life affected his writing. As such, it's a bit of a mix of biography and literary criticism, and it contains many excerpts from Dickens' novels. The book is also an entertaining look at Dickens' terribly interesting life. He is presented as a flawed genius and described not only in his own words but also by those who knew him. I recommend this book to the general student of Dickens or to anyone who enjoys his novels, 19th century England, or just a highly readable biography. ... Read more

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Charles Dickens's first published book, "Sketches by Boz" (1836) heralded an exciting new voice in English literature. This richly varied collection of observation, fancy and fiction shows the London he knew so intimately at its best and worst - its streets, theatres, inns, pawnshops, law courts, prisons, omnibuses and the river Thames - in honest and visionary descriptions of everyday life and people. Through pen portraits that often anticipate characters from his great novels, we see the condemned man in his prison cell, garrulous matrons, vulgar young clerks and Scrooge-like bachelors, while Dickens's powers for social critique are never far from the surface, in unflinching depictions of the vast metropolis's forgotten citizens, from child workers to prostitutes. A startling mixture of humour and pathos, these Sketches reveal London as wonderful terrain for an extraordinary young writer. "Sketches" is a remarkable achievement, and looks towards Dickens's giant novels in its profusion of characters, its glimpses of surreal modernity and its limitless fund of pathos and comic invention. ... Read more

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First Literary Efforts of a Great Master
Sketches by Boz is a delightful collection of vignettes and stories which Charles Dickens first published in various newspapers and magazines, and then published in book form in 1836. All the elements of later Dickens are already on display here, from deep pathos to occasionally overdone bathos, to scathingly sarcastic humor, to gentle and affectionate spoof. Some of the stories are really extremely funny, andwildly entertaining. Perhaps not a book to be read straight through, but savored in bits, like a good box of chocolates. The Penguin Classics edition has excellent notes and all the original George Cruikshank illustrations. For a writer's Opus 1, this is quite an accomplishment. I found it very enjoyable.

See the evolving genius of Charles Dickens emerge in his Sketches by Boz
Charles Dickens (1812-1870) is the greatest English novelist. We all know and love his novels. However, most readers do not read "Sketches by Boz" which is an early compilation of articles the budding author penned for various newspapers and journals. These sketches were written while Dickens was a parliamentary reporter in his early 20s.
Wnence does the name "Boz" derive? As a young lad Dickens gave his younger brother Augustus the nickname "Moses" in honor of a character in Oliver Goldsmith;'s classic novel "The Vicar of Wakefield." Young Augustus could not pronounce "Moses" correctly calling himself "Boz". Dickens decided this would be a good name to apply to himself as he submitted the anonymous humorous sketches he produced in profusion in the 1830s. We sometimes foget that Dickens was already an author prior to the ascension of Queen Victoria in 1837.
The Penguin edition divides the lengthy sketches into four sections:
"Sketches from our Parish:; :Scenes of London"; "Characters" and the best section "Tales" which are humorous short stories.
The book is illustrated by George Cruikshank a good friend of the author and along with Phiz one of Dickens best illustrators.
The various tales are of uneven quality. Do not read this book if you are seeking the complexity of a "Bleak House": "Little Dorrit" or "Our Mutual Friend." Do peruse them if you enjoy succinctly and well observed tales and sketches of what it was like to live in London in the 1830s as the city was becoming a vast metropolis filled with interesting characters. I loved Dickens sketches of what a London street scene was like in the bustle of early morning. His stories of life in the theatre were excellent as was his tour of Newgate prison .
If you have not read Dickens I suggest you begin with "The Pickwick Papers" and this apprentice work. Once you enter the magical, dangerous, hilarious wonderful world of Charles Dickens you will apply for citizenship papers in Mr. Dickens literary universe!

Sketches by Boz [Penguin Classics edition]
In bookstores and libraries, literary classics are a dime a dozen.There are so many different editions available of each that the problem becomes one not of finding a good read but of selecting the edition of it that's right for you.Charles Dickens is perhaps the most popular of the past masters.All his books are enormously entertaining, whether he's writing about the tragedies of this world or its travesties.His eye for the ludicrous is faultless; his representation of it in print is perfection.He never fails to paint on the canvass in our mind, with a few simple strokes, a comic character that resembles someone we've met somewhere, sometime in our lives.His characters are so real that he needs to do nothing more than describe their appearance briefly and then let them speak for themselves.They speak with all the dignity and importance we all feel in ourselves, yet they unwittingly disclose for the reader all the foibles we all possess ... and mistakenly think known only to ourselves.Likewise, when introducing tragic characters, Dickens prefers to offer brief but unerringly accurate descriptions of their build, demeanor, and dress, and then allow their own words and actions to speak for themselves.His creations elicit mirth and misery in us without fail as Dickens masterfully plucks the strings of our hearts.

Unlike most writers, Dickens is equally at home in both the short story and the full-length novel format.This is because his novels were serialized in periodicals in their first publications.Only later were they edited for book form."Sketches by Boz" is an offering of Dickens's first attempts at writing for a living.It consists of 56 passages, most of which can be read in a single sitting of less than half an hour.These are divided into four sections: "Our Parish", "Scenes", "Characters", and "Tales".Of these, only the last contains fiction.The 44 nonfiction accounts are just as entertaining as their made-up brothers.In fact, I found them even more fun to read at times.Dickens only thinly disguised the identities of his victims while lampooning them, and as editor Dennis Walder so rightly points out, many of these descriptions would surely result in lawsuits for libel if they were published about public figures today.

This was my first experience reading a Penguin Classics edition of Dickens, and I was extremely pleased with it.The editor introduced "Sketches" with a few notes of academic and historical interest, a particular one of which I found to be of great interest as it finally answered a question I'd had for half my life: namely, where Dickens had acquired his nickname of Boz.But more important for today's reader of Dickens is the "Notes" section at the back of the book in which Mr. Walder defines Dickensian slang and explains the author's references to people, events, and places of early nineteenth century London.Much of Dickens's wit is lost on today's reader without such disclosures.

One of my favorite ways of reading a classic author is to collect all of his or her works and then read through them at a leisurely pace in the order they were written.I did this with Sir Arthur Conan Doyle with the intention of noting how his style developed over the years.I was surprised to find an unexpected benefit of that project: I was transported to those times and felt as I imagine one of Doyle's contemporary fans must have felt as he read each new Sherlock Holmes story.After finishing Doyle, I immediately began collecting Dickens for a similar project."Sketches by Boz", being a collection of Dickens's first literary efforts, was of course the first in this series.The second Dickens book is "The Pickwick Papers", of which I have the Library of the Future edition.But after reading the Penguin Classics "Sketches", I'm determined to first replace "Pickwick" with the Penguin edition.The Penguin books are reasonably priced and well worth every penny. ... Read more

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This book was converted from its physical edition to the digital format by a community of volunteers. You may find it for free on the web. Purchase of the Kindle edition includes wireless delivery. ... Read more

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The classic Ghost Story of Christmas, Scrooge and Tiny Tim. ... Read more

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Customer Reviews (4)

Excellent
I have used amazon seveal times. Everytime I received what I expected. The rating is fair and helpful.

Great story, enjoyable reading
I purchased this book after watching the PBS series. It is a great book, not as lengthy as "Little Dorritt" and quite entertaining. As usual, the villain gets punished, and all ends well.
Highly recommended for all ages

Hard to put down
I couldn't get into Dickens in high school, I guess my maturity level just wasn't there.But I bought this classic for my home schooling 6th grade daughter, and vowed to read it no matter what.Well, after the first chapter, I was hooked.And she really loved it too.We read it much faster than I had anticipated, considering the language and size of the book.Highly recommended!

Enjoyable Story
This is a real page-turner if you like Dickens' style. Memorable characters, such as robber Bill Sykes, his dog Bull's-eye, Mr. Bumble, and Mr. Grimwig. Oliver Twist, the character, is adorable. The only thing that marred the enjoyment of this book for me were the superfluous commas. Haven't checked to see if they erroneously appear in other editions. ... Read more

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The Sketches by Boz first made Dickens' reputation as a literary writer building on his career as a journalist. These two volumes include the full series and some other pieces by Dickens in the same mode. ... Read more

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This scarce antiquarian book is included in our special Legacy Reprint Series. In the interest of creating a more extensive selection of rare historical book reprints, we have chosen to reproduce this title even though it may possibly have occasional imperfections such as missing and blurred pages, missing text, poor pictures, markings, dark backgrounds and other reproduction issues beyond our control. Because this work is culturally important, we have made it available as a part of our commitment to protecting, preserving and promoting the world's literature. ... Read more

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Citizen Kent
Charles Foster Kent (whose name, incidentally, inspired that of Orson Welles's Charles Foster Kane), was a Victorian journalist and friend of Dickens, who attended a huge number of the novelist's public readings, and has left us one of the best accounts of what they were like. His prose is occasionally a bit on the sticky side, but his accounts are infinitely fascinating.If you have any fondness for Dickens at all, pick up this work and plunge in. ... Read more

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Master Humphrey, a kindly old gentleman, gathers with his friends to read stories, and Dickens offers his sardonic comments on British history. ... Read more

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Great history and great read
Once again Charles Dickens pulls off another great story. I actually haven't read the first part of the book: "Master Humphreys Clock" but loved "A Child's History of England". Rather like Howard Zinn's "Peoples History of the United States", Dickens is brutally honest (if that word could be used when there didn't seem to be any references) about the Kings and Queens of England. A great way to learn history with some memorable tales told along the way.
... Read more