CHARLES DICKENS (1812-1870) was an English writer and social critic who created some of the world's best-known fictional characters and is regarded by many as the greatest novelist of the Victorian era. 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 readings extensively, was an indefatigable letter writer, and campaigned vigorously for children's rights, education, and other social reforms.
Dickens's literary success began with the 1836 serial publication of THE PICKWICK PAPERS. Within a few years he had become an international literary celebrity, famous for his humour, satire, and keen observation of character and society. Masses of the illiterate poor chipped in ha'pennies to have each new monthly episode read to them, opening up and inspiring a new class of readers. Dickens has been praised by fellow writers -- from Tolstoy to Orwell, Chesterton and Tom Wolfe -- for his realism, comedy, prose style, unique characterisations, and social criticism. On the other hand, Oscar Wilde, Henry James, and Virginia Woolf complained of a lack of psychological depth, loose writing, and a vein of saccharine sentimentalism.
NOTE: The novels and stories are available in many editions, most of which are simple undistinguished reprints. To keep the size of this collection within manageable limits, I have included only those editions containing a significant scholarly apparatus (primarily Penguin Classics or Oxford World's Classics), with their excellent introductions and explanatory notes.
The following books are in ePUB format unless otherwise noted:
== NOVELS ==
* Barnaby Rudge (Oxford WC, 2003). Clive Hurst, ed.
* Barnaby Rudge (Penguin Classics, 2003). John Bowen, ed.
* Bleak House (Oxford WC, 1998). Stephen Gill, ed.
* Bleak House (Penguin Classics, 2003). Nicola Bradbury, ed.
* David Copperfield (Oxford WC, 2008). Nina Burgis, ed.
* David Copperfield (Penguin Classics, 2004). Jeremy Tambling, ed.
* Dombey and Son (Oxford WC, 2008). Alan Horsman, ed.
* Dombey and Son (Penguin Classics, 2002). Andrew Sanders, ed.
* Great Expectations (Oxford WC, 2008). M. Cardwell, ed. -- ePUB + PDF
* Great Expectations (Penguin Classics, 2010). Intro. by Francine Prose.
* Hard Times (Oxford WC, 2006). Paul Schlicke, ed.
* Hard Times (Penguin Classics, 2003). Kate Flint, ed.
* Hard Times (Signet, 2008). Frederick Busch, ed.
* Little Dorrit (Penguin Classics, 2003). Revised. Wall & Small, eds.
* Little Dorrit (Penguin English Library, 2012). Illustrated.
* Martin Chuzzlewit (Oxford WC, 1998). Margaret Cardwell, ed.
* Martin Chuzzlewit (Penguin Classics, 1999). Ingham, ed. -- ePUB + PDF
* Mystery of Edwin Drood (Modern Library, 2009). Matthew Pearl, ed.
* Mystery of Edwin Drood (Oxford WC, 1999). Margaret Cardwell, ed.
* Mystery of Edwin Drood (Penguin, 2002). Paroissien, ed. -- ePUB + PDF
* Nicholas Nickleby (Penguin Classics, 2003). Mark Ford, ed.
* Old Curiosity Shop, The (Penguin Classics, 2000). Norman Page, ed.
* Oliver Twist (Penguin Classics, 2002). Philip Horne, ed.
* Our Mutual Friend (Oxford WC, 2008). Michael Cotsell, ed.
* Our Mutual Friend (Penguin Classics, 1997). Adrian Poole, ed.
* Pickwick Papers, The (Oxford WC, 1998). James Kinsley, ed.
* Pickwick Papers, The (Penguin Classics, 2003). Mark Wormald, ed.
* Tale of Two Cities, A (Oxford WC, 1999). Andrew Sanders, ed.
* Tale of Two Cities, A (Penguin Classics, 2003). Richard Maxwell, ed.
* Tale of Two Cities, A (Penguin Classics, 2008). Revised. R. Maxwell, ed.
* Tale of Two Cities, A / Great Expectations (Penguin, 2010). "Enriched" edn.
== NOVELLAS & SHORT FICTION ==
* Christmas Carol, A (Penguin, 2014). Illustrated by John Leech.
* Christmas Carol & Other Christmas Books (Oxford WC, 2006) -- ePUB + PDF
* Christmas Carol & Other Christmas Writings (Penguin, 2003). M. Slater, ed.
* Dickens at Christmas: A Selection of Seasonal Writings (Vintage, 2012)
* Haunted House, The (Modern Library, 2004). Introduction by Wesley State.
* House to Let, A (HarperPerennial, 2014). With Wilkie Collins et al.
* Select Short Fiction (Dover, 2016)
* Selected Short Fiction (Penguin Classics, 1976). Deborah Thomas, ed.
* Sketches by Boz (Penguin Classics, 1995). Dennis Walder, ed.
* Sketches of Young Gentlemen and Young Couples (Oxford, 2012) -- PDF
* Three Ghost Stories (Duke Classics, 2012)
== JOURNALISM & NON-FICTION ==
* American Notes (Penguin Classics, 2000). Patricia Ingham, ed.
* American Notes (Cambridge, 2009). 2 volumes -- PDF
* Charles Dickens as Editor (Smith, Elder, 1912). R.C. Lehmann, ed. -- PDF
* Child's History of England, A (Open Road, 2015)
* Dickensiana, Vol. 1 (Delphi Classics, 2012). Fred Burwell, ed.
* Life of Our Lord, The (Simon & Schuster, 1934) -- PDF
* Night Walks (Penguin, 2010).
* Old Lamps for New Ones (New Amsterdam, 1897) -- PDF
* On Theatre (Hesperus, 2011). Introduction by Pete Orford. -- PDF
* Pictures from Italy (Penguin Classics, 2002). Kate Flint, ed.
* Selected Journalism, 1850-1870 (Penguin Classics, 1997). D. Pascoe, ed.
* Speeches (Michael Joseph, 1937). R.H. Shepherd, ed. -- PDF
* Uncollected Writings from Household Words, Vol. 2 (Indiana, 1968) -- PDF
== LETTERS ==
* Dickens-Kolle Letters (Bibliophile Society, 1910). Harry Smith, ed. -- PDF
* Dickens to His Oldest Friend (Haskell, 1972). Walter Dexter, ed. -- PDF
* Letters of CD: Vol. 2, 1840-1841 (Clarendon, 1969). House, ed. -- PDF
* Letters to Wilkie Collins (Harper & Bros., 1892). L. Hutton, ed. -- PDF
* Letters to Baroness Burdett-Coutts (Murray, 1931). C. Osborne, ed. -- PDF
* Selected Letters (Oxford WC, 2012). Jenny Hartley, ed.
* Selected Letters (Macmillan, 1985). David Paroissien, ed. -- PDF
== OTHER ==
* Complete Works (Delphi Classics, 2015)
* Poems and Verses (Chapman & Hall, 1903) -- PDF
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