Select Works of Charles Dickens (7 vols.)

In this classic coming of age story, a young orphan named Pip encounters an escaped convict and finds himself caught up in a life he never imagined was possible. Today, the novel is an excellent example of Victorian literature, and remains popular throughout the world. Great Expectations showcases Dickens’ masterful dialogue and endearing humor.

A Tale of Two Cities is one of the world’s most famous works of literature. The novel has sold over 200 million copies. It is one of Dickens’ two historical fiction novels, and is considered the least humorous of his works, but it powerfully presents English and French social structure, class separation, and the French Revolution. The novel is one of the most widely studied works in the canon of Western literature.

The Adventures of Oliver Twist is Charles Dickens’ second novel. Loaded with sarcasm and harsh cultural criticism, the novel addresses gruesome child-labor practices and the horrifying recruitment techniques used to turn street children into criminals. The title character, Oliver Twist, escapes a workhouse only to find himself in the middle of a gang of child criminals, led by a twisted man named Fagin.

Bleak House is considered one of Dickens’ best novels. Dickens colorfully exposes the flaws of the judicial system, partially based on his previous experience as a law clerk. Bleak House awakened a movement which eventually achieved legal reform. The story features an immense cast of characters, including over 20 major characters and 40 minor characters, many of which are based on real people.

The Old Curiosity Shop follows the story of a young orphan named Nell Trent, who lives in London with her grandfather at The Old Curiosity Shop. Like many nineteenth-century novels, the story was published in weekly installments. Nell was so endearing to the public that when the ship arrived in New York with the final installment, readers swarmed the sailors, begging to know how the novel ended. Upon reading the end of the novel, Irish politician Daniel O’Connell is said to have burst into tears and thrown the book out the window of the train he was on.

The Posthumous Papers of the Pickwick Club, also known simply as The Pickwick Papers, was Charles Dickens’ first novel. The story follows the Pickwick club, and the clumsy misadventures of its members.

Sketches by Boz is a collection of over 50 short stories depicting everyday life and everyday people in London. “Boz” was Charles Dickens’ enigmatic pen-name, which he used often early in his career.