"First published serially in 1840 -- 41 in Dickens' own magazine, Master Humphrey's Clock , and in book form in 1841, The Old Curiosity Shop was an immediate popular success. The heart-wrenching story of Little Nell and her doting grandfather offered a rich amalgam of misery and malice, goodness and generosity, love and loyalty -- all with a pervading veneer of sentimentality that greatly appealed to Victorian readers. As the story opens up, Nell...

A bone-chilling trio of supernatural tales by fiction master Charles Dickens In "The Haunted House," a new homeowner discovers he is sharing his bed with the skeleton of the house's former master. In "The Trial for Murder," a revengeful ghost haunts a juror serving at his killer's trial. In "The Signal-Man," an apparition warns a man of impending disaster. These strange and frightening occurrences unfold in grim and gripping detail in this collection...

A rare detective story by one of the greatest writers in the English language A mysterious man named Julius Slinkton enters the life of Mr. Sampson, the manager of a life assurance office. Remarkably well-spoken and with insinuating manners, Slinkton initially seems to be the consummate gentleman. But as Sampson soon learns, appearances can be deceiving. Written in the uncanny style of his close friend Wilkie Collins, this detective story is an unusual...

From the mysterious Druids and noble King Alfred to the notorious Henry VIII and the Glorious Revolution of 1688, Charles Dickens traced his country's history for the benefit of young Victorians. Written with the beloved storyteller's customary panache, this series of historical vignettes reads like a fast-paced novel, rich in anecdotes and colorful stories. Dickens' unsparing, witty, and opinionated perspectives on the great pageant of English history...

Dickens' burning passion for theater has often been overlooked by fans of his novels. A keen playwright and actor, he staged performances for which he oversaw every detail, and personally adapted many of his own fictional works. As a consummate self-publicist, he also undertook numerous stage tours and public readings of his own work. For Dickens, and for large swathes of Victorian society, theatre was a way of life and a hub of community: audience...

"Three classic novels of wealth, poverty, murder, and ambition from the greatest storyteller of the Victorian era. Filled with drama, emotion, and suspense, these three novels have compelled and delighted readers for well over a century. Martin Chuzzlewit : After losing his inheritance, a young man strives to make his own fortune, in this witty, wide-ranging saga. Nicholas Nickleby : A young man fights to save his mother, his sister, and a group of...

Three of Dickens's most compelling orphan protagonists'Oliver Twist, Pip, and Esther Summerson'in three of his greatest novels. Perhaps no writer in the English language is more closely associated with orphaned characters than Charles Dickens. The trials and dangers for children without parental protection play a significant part in nearly all his work, as both a source of highly entertaining melodrama and pointed social criticism. Oliver Twist :...

"Three tales that showcase the nineteenth-century novelist's famous flair for suspense and plot twists. This volume includes three titles by Victorian England's greatest storyteller. Hunted Down : The manager of a life assurance office finds his suspicions growing after becoming acquainted with a mysterious gentleman in this rare detective story by Charles Dickens. The Mystery of Edwin Drood : In this unfinished puzzler-the basis for the Broadway...

Bleak House, by Charles Dickens, is part of the Barnes & Noble Classics series, which offers quality editions at affordable prices to the student and the general reader, including new scholarship, thoughtful design, and pages of carefully crafted extras. Here are some of the remarkable features of Barnes & Noble Classics:New introductions commissioned from today's top writers and scholars Biographies of the authors Chronologies of contemporary historical,...