Charles Dickens

In tracing the parish boy's progress, Dickens did not write a topical satire on the workhouse system and the role of the 1834 New Poor Law in fostering criminality, he created a story about the survival of good, and the exploitation of violence.

Gathered round the fire at the Maypole Inn, in the village of Chigwell, on a foul weather evening in the year 1775 were John Willet, proprietor of the Maypole, and his three cronies. One of the three, Soloman Daisy, tells a stranger at the inn a well-known local tale of the murder of Reuben Haredale which had occurred 22 years ago that very day. Reuben had been owner of the Warren, an estate in the area, now the residence of the deceased Reuben's...

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...

Join Dickens on his night walks through London and discover the hidden night life of Victorian society. Dickens often suffered from insomnia and used his night-time wanderings to collect impressions and ideas giving him an insight into some of the hidden aspects of Victorian London. He incorporated these discoveries into many sketches and stories of this book.

First published in 1859, "The Haunted House" is a trio of short stories written ("conducted") by Charles Dickens for the weekly periodical "All the Year Round". Originally, a "portmanteau" story, Dickens wrote the opening and closing stories of a collection that included contributions by Wilkie Collins and Elizabeth Gaskell, among others. Each story has an element of the strange, scary or supernatural, making it perfect for reading on winter nights...

An old man recalls the different stages of his life as a journey that he shares with his grandchildren.

A graphic retelling of the novel "Oliver Twist" from the perspective of Fagin.

Director Roman Polanski offers a slightly darker version of the classic Charles Dickens tale. After living in poor conditions, Oliver runs away to the streets of London. There he meets a gang of pickpockets and soon Oliver's life is changed forever.

Miser Ebenezer Scrooge learns the true meaning of Christmas and reforms his heartless and money-grubbing ways after being visited on Christmas Eve by four ghosts. Anniversary edition.