Dickens Library » (Eight-volume set)

Charles Dickens is probably the greatest novelist England ever produced. His innate comic genius and shrewd depictions of Victorian life -- along with his memorable characters -- have made him beloved by readers the world over. In Dickens' books live some of the most repugnant villains in literature, as well as some of the most likeable (and unlikely) heroes.

Beloved by readers the world over, Charles Dickens (1812-1870) was the second of eight children in a family burdened with financial troubles. Despite difficult early years, he went on to become the most successful British writer of the Victorian age -- and possibly the greatest novelist England ever produced. Drawing on his own life experiences as well as things he witnessed as a young Parliamentary reporter, he created some of the most repugnant villains in literature, as well as some of the most likeable (and unlikely) heroes.

Now you can dip into Dickens s gallery of characters with this specially priced set of eight novels spanning his extraordinary writing career:

• Oliver Twist (1837-38)
• Nicholas Nickleby (1838-39)
• A Christmas Carol (1843)
• David Copperfield (1849-50)
• Bleak House (1852-53)
• Hard Times (1854)
• A Tale of Two Cities (1859)
• Great Expectations (1860-61)

Renowned as much as for their detailed depictions of the social conditions of the day as for their vivid characters, Dickens's novels were rooted in his keen sense of the need for social reforms. But it was his vivid characterizations and intricate plots that turned his sympathies into enduring art. Dickens's friend and biographer, John Forster, observed that Dickens made "characters real existences, not by describing them but by letting them describe themselves." T. S. Eliot commented that "Dickens's figures belong to poetry, like figures of Dante or Shakespeare, in that a single phrase, either by them or about them, may be enough to set them wholly before us."

The Barnes & Noble Classics series 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, biographical, and cultural events
• Footnotes and endnotes
• Selective discussions of imitations, parodies, poems, books, plays, paintings, operas, statuary, and films inspired by the work
• Comments by other famous authors
• Study questions to challenge the reader's viewpoints and expectations
• Bibliographies for further reading
• Indices & Glossaries, when appropriate

All editions are beautifully designed and are printed to superior specifications; some include illustrations of historical interest. Barnes & Noble Classics pulls together a constellation of influences biographical, historical, and literary to enrich each reader's understanding of these enduring works.