- Published: 11 April 2001
- ISBN: 9780140437423
- Imprint: Penguin Classics
- Format: Paperback
- Pages: 608
- RRP: $24.00
The Old Curiosity Shop
New critical introduction, outlining the novel's publishing history, and discussing its reception, the character of Little Nell, Dickens's style, and the illustrations
The tale of Little Nell gripped the nation when it first appeared in 1841. Described as a \"tragedy of sorrows\", the story tells of Nell uprooted from a secure and innocent childhood and cast into a world where evil takes many shapes, the most fascinating of which is the stunted, lecherous Quilp. Blending realism with non-realistic genres such as fairy-tale, allegory, and pastoral, the tale of Nell's tragedy contains some of Dickens most memorable comic and grotesque creations, including the dwarf Daniel Quilp, Dick Swiveller and Kit Nubbles.
- Published: 11 April 2001
- ISBN: 9780140437423
- Imprint: Penguin Classics
- Format: Paperback
- Pages: 608
- RRP: $24.00
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About the author
Charles Dickens was born in Hampshire on February 7, 1812. His father was a clerk in the navy pay office, who was well paid but often ended up in financial troubles. When Dickens was twelve years old he was send to work in a shoe polish factory because his family had been taken to the debtors' prison. His career as a writer of fiction started in 1833 when his short stories and essays began to appear in periodicals. The Pickwick Papers, his first commercial success, was published in 1836. The serialisation of Oliver Twist began in 1837. Many other novels followed and The Old Curiosity Shop brought Dickens international fame and he became a celebrity in America as well as Britain. Charles Dickens died on 9 June 1870. He is buried in Westminster Abbey.