New Releases by Charles Dickens

Bleak House is one of Charles Dickens''s major novels, first published as a serial between March 1852 and September 1853. The novel has many characters and several sub-plots, and the story is told partly by the novel''s heroine, Esther Summerson, and partly by an omniscient narrator. At the centre of Bleak House is the long-running legal case, Jarndyce and Jarndyce, which came about because someone wrote several conflicting wills. This legal case is used by Dickens to satirise the English judicial system, and he makes use of his earlier experiences as a law clerk, and as a litigant seeking to enforce copyright on his earlier books. Though the legal profession criticised Dickens''s satire as exaggerated, this novel helped support a judicial reform movement, which culminated in the enactment of legal reform in the 1870s. There is some debate among scholars as to when Bleak House is set. The English legal historian Sir William Holdsworth sets the action in 1827] however, reference to preparation for the building of a railway in Chapter LV suggests the 1830s.

Nicholas Nickleby is Charles Dickens'' third published novel. He returned to his favourite publishers and to the format that was considered so successful with The Pickwick Papers. The story first appeared in monthly parts, after which it was issued in one volume. The style is considered to be episodic and humorous, though the second half of the novel becomes more serious and tightly plotted. Dickens began writing ''Nickleby'' while still working on Oliver Twist and while the mood is considerably lighter, his depiction of the Yorkshire school run by Wackford Squeers is as moving and influential as those of the workhouse and criminal underclass in Twist. ''Nickleby'' marks a new development in a further sense as it is the first of Dickens'' romances. When it was published the book was an immediate and complete success and established Dickens''s lasting reputation. The cruelty of a real Yorkshire schoolmaster named William Shaw became the basis for Dickens''s brutal character of Wackford Squeers. Dickens visited his school and based the school section of Nicholas Nickleby on his visit.

The Posthumous Papers of the Pickwick Club (also known as The Pickwick Papers) was Charles Dickens''s first and personal favourite novel. He was asked to contribute to the project as an up-and-coming writer following the success of Sketches by Boz, published in 1836 (most of Dickens'' novels were issued in shilling instalments before being published as complete volumes). Dickens (still writing under the pseudonym of Boz) increasingly took over the unsuccessful monthly publication after the original illustrator Robert Seymour had committed suicide.With the introduction of Sam Weller in chapter 10, the book became the first real publishing phenomenon, with bootleg copies, theatrical performances, Sam Weller joke books, and other merchandise.After the publication, the widow of Robert Seymour claimed that the idea for the novel was originally her husband''s; however, in his preface to the 1867 edition, Dickens strenuously denied any specific input, writing that "Mr Seymour never originated or suggested an incident, a phrase, or a word, to be found in the book."

Oliver Twist, or The Parish Boy''s Progress, is the second novel by English author Charles Dickens, and was first published as a serial 1837-39. The story is of the orphan Oliver Twist, who starts his life in a workhouse and is then sold into apprenticeship with an undertaker. He escapes from there and travels to London, where he meets the Artful Dodger, a member of a gang of juvenile pickpockets led by the elderly criminal, Fagin.Oliver Twist is notable for its unromantic portrayal by Dickens of criminals and their sordid lives, as well as for exposing the cruel treatment of the many orphans in London in the mid-19th century.The alternate title, The Parish Boy''s Progress, alludes to Bunyan''s The Pilgrim''s Progress, as well as the 18th-century caricature series by William Hogarth, A Rake''s Progress and A Harlot''s Progress

first serialized in All the Year Round from December 1860 to August 1861. The action of the story takes place from Christmas Eve, 1812, when the protagonist is about seven years old, to the winter of 1840 Charles John Huffam Dickens 7 February 1812 - 9 June 1870) was an English writer and social critic. He created some of the world''s best-known fictional characters and is regarded as the greatest novelist of the Victorian era. His works enjoyed unprecedented popularity during his lifetime, and by the twentieth century critics and scholars had recognised him as a literary genius. His novels and short stories enjoy lasting popularity. Born in Portsmouth, Dickens left school to work in a factory when his father was incarcerated in a debtors'' prison. Despite his lack of formal education, he edited a weekly journal for 20 years, wrote 15 novels, five novellas, hundreds of short stories and non-fiction articles, lectured and performed extensively, was an indefatigable letter writer, and campaigned vigorously for children''s rights, education, and other social reforms.

A Christmas Carol in Prose, Being a Ghost-Story of Christmas, commonly known as A Christmas Carol, is a novella by Charles Dickens, first published in London by Chapman & Hall on 19 December 1843. The novella met with instant success and critical acclaim. A Christmas Carol tells the story of a bitter old miser named Ebenezer Scrooge and his transformation into a gentler, kindlier man after visitations by the ghost of his former business partner Jacob Marley and the Ghosts of Christmas Past, Present and Yet to Come.

Charles Dickens is largely responsible for the modern idea of "Christmas". His timeless writings preserved the English traditions associated with the holiday and inspired many more. Characters such as Tiny Tim and Scrooge have entered our literature and consciousness. It''s no wonder Dickens has been referred to as "the man who invented Christmas". Bertrand Media proudly presents Dickens'' five Christmas themed works: The Battle of Life A Christmas Carol The Haunted Man and the Ghost''s Bargain The Chimes The Cricket on the Hearth

Great Expectations is Charles Dickens''s thirteenth novel. It is his second novel, after David Copperfield, to be fully narrated in the first person. Great Expectations is a bildungsroman, or a coming-of-age novel, and it is a classic work of Victorian literature. It depicts the growth and personal development of an orphan named Pip. The novel was first published in serial form in Dickens''s weekly periodical All the Year Round, from 1 December 1860 to August 1861, Great Expectations has a colourful cast that has entered popular culture: the capricious Miss Havisham, the cold and beautiful Estella, Joe the kind and generous blacksmith, the dry and sycophantic Uncle Pumblechook, Mr Jaggers, Wemmick with his dual personality, and the eloquent and wise friend, Herbert Pocket. Throughout the narrative, typical Dickensian themes emerge: wealth and poverty, love and rejection, and the eventual triumph of good over evil.[4] Great Expectations has become very popular and is now taught as a classic in many English classes. It has been translated into many languages and adapted many times in film and other media.

The objective of this series is to introduce children to the works of literary giants like Charles Dickens, Mark Twain, R.L. Stevension and other which are known as classics. These stories must be read at a younger age so that a feeling of adventure ignites at the right time.

HarperCollins is proud to present a range of best-loved, essential classics.

HarperCollins is proud to present a range of best-loved, essential classics.

Charles Dickens'' Dombey and Son tells the story of the wealthy owner of a shipping company, Paul Dombey, who dreams of having a son to carry on the family business. It deals with themes such as marriage for financial gain, cruelty towards children, family relationships, pride, arrogance, betrayal and the destructive effects of industrialization.

An attractive single-volume hardback edition of Dickens''s classic Christmas story which also includes Dickens''s four other Christmas Books and a selection of original illustrations.

The comic adventures of Samuel Pickwick and his friends, known as the Pickwick Club.

In Two Volumes. Containing A Faithful Account Of The Fortunes, Misfortunes, Uprisings, Downfallings, And Complete Career Of The Nickleby Family.

A reprinting of the 1843 first edition, complete with the original illustrations, is supplemented by over eighty related sketches and annotations on and analyses of the text and historical notes on the writing of "The Christmas Carol."

The words and emotions of Dickens''s classic tale are brought to life with exceptional detail and clarity. Each unforgettable illustration portrays a world only Dickens could have envisioned--mysterious, haunting, beautiful.