In October 1843, Charles Dickens ― heavily in debt and obligated to his publisher ― began work on a book to help supplement his family's meager income. That volume, A Christmas Carol, has long since become one of the most beloved stories in the English language. As much a part of the holiday season as holly, mistletoe, and evergreen wreaths, this perennial favorite continues to delight new readers and rekindle thoughts of charity and goodwill.
With its characters exhibiting many qualities ― as well as failures ― often ascribed to Dickens himself, the...

Adapted by John Mortimer from the story by Charles Dickens Large cast. Simple sets. Dramatized with flair and wit in a version first performed by the Royal Shakespeare Company, this adaptation of the ageless story captures Dickens' ironic point of view while it creates a panoramic view of Victorian London. All of the much loved characters are in place. Cast and staging requirements are extremely flexible; there is ample opportunity for creative doubling.

Devised with the help of expert examiners and teachers, an easy-to-use literature study guide which aims to provide students with a better understanding and appreciation of the text. Also of interest to the general reader.

Key Features: * Study methods * Introduction to the text * Summaries with critical notes * Themes and techniques * Textual analysis of key passages * Author biography * Historical and literary background * Modern and historical critical approaches * Chronology * Glossary of literary terms

Set against the backdrop of the French Revolution, A Tale of Two Cities is one of Charles Dickens's most popular and dramatic stories.
It begins on a muddy English road in an atmosphere charged with mystery and it ends in the Paris of the Revolution with one of the most famous acts of self-sacrifice in literature. In between lies one of Dickens's most exciting books--a historical novel that, generation after generation, has given readers access to the profound human dramas that lie behind cataclysmic social and political events. Famous for its vivid characters, including the...

The celebrated P.J. Lynch captures the spirit of Dickens's beloved tale in a richly illustrated unabridged edition.
The story of Ebenezer Scrooge opens on a Christmas Eve as cold as Scrooge's own heart. That night, he receives three ghostly visitors: the terrifying spirits of Christmas Past, Present, and Yet to Come. Each takes him on a heart-stopping journey, yielding glimpses of Tiny Tim and Bob Cratchit, the horrifying spectres of Want and Ignorance, even Scrooge's painfully hopeful younger self. Will Scrooge's heart be opened? Can he reverse the miserable future he is forced to...

The novels of Charles Dickens (1812 70), with their inimitable energy and their comic, tragic and grotesque characters, are still widely read, and reworked for film and television. Dickens himself had the original manuscripts of his works bound and presented them to his friends: that of Great Expectations was given to Chauncy Hare Townshend, with whom Dickens shared an interest in mesmerism and the occult. Townshend bequeathed his library (and collection of paintings and ceramics) to the Wisbech and Fenland Museum in 1868. The manuscript has now been scanned and is published in the Cambridge...

Classic / British English David Copperfield's happy life suddenly changes when his mother marries again. Her new husband is cruel to him and sends him away to school. When David's mother dies, he is sent to work in London. He hates his job so he runs away. He has no money for food or for travelling. But it is the beginning of his life of adventure.

Classic / British English Pip is a poor orphan whose life is changed forever by two very different meetings -- one with an escaped convict and the other with an eccentric old lady and the beautiful girl who lives with her. And who is the mysterious person who leaves him a fortune?

Miserly Ebenezer Scrooge is visited on Christmas Eve by the three ghosts of Christmas. They show him the joy of Christmas, and wrtchedness 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.