Charles Dickens Popular Books
Charles Dickens Biography & Facts
Charles John Huffam Dickens (; 7 February 1812 – 9 June 1870) was an English writer and social critic. He created some of the world's best-known fictional characters and is regarded by many as the greatest novelist of the Victorian era. His works enjoyed unprecedented popularity during his lifetime and, by the 20th century, critics and scholars had recognised him as a literary genius. His novels and short stories are widely read today.Born in Portsmouth, Dickens left school at the age of 12 to work in a boot-blacking factory when his father was incarcerated in a debtors' prison. After three years he returned to school, before he began his literary career as a journalist. Dickens 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, for education, and for other social reforms. Dickens's literary success began with the 1836 serial publication of The Pickwick Papers, a publishing phenomenon—thanks largely to the introduction of the character Sam Weller in the fourth episode—that sparked Pickwick merchandise and spin-offs. Within a few years Dickens had become an international literary celebrity, famous for his humour, satire and keen observation of character and society. His novels, most of them published in monthly or weekly installments, pioneered the serial publication of narrative fiction, which became the dominant Victorian mode for novel publication. Cliffhanger endings in his serial publications kept readers in suspense. The instalment format allowed Dickens to evaluate his audience's reaction, and he often modified his plot and character development based on such feedback. For example, when his wife's chiropodist expressed distress at the way Miss Mowcher in David Copperfield seemed to reflect her own disabilities, Dickens improved the character with positive features. His plots were carefully constructed and he often wove elements from topical events into his narratives. Masses of the illiterate poor would individually pay a halfpenny to have each new monthly episode read to them, opening up and inspiring a new class of readers.His 1843 novella A Christmas Carol remains especially popular and continues to inspire adaptations in every artistic genre. Oliver Twist and Great Expectations are also frequently adapted and, like many of his novels, evoke images of early Victorian London. His 1859 novel A Tale of Two Cities (set in London and Paris) is his best-known work of historical fiction. The most famous celebrity of his era, he undertook, in response to public demand, a series of public reading tours in the later part of his career. The term Dickensian is used to describe something that is reminiscent of Dickens and his writings, such as poor social or working conditions, or comically repulsive characters. Early life Charles Dickens was born on 7 February 1812 at 1 Mile End Terrace (now 393 Commercial Road), Landport in Portsea Island (Portsmouth), Hampshire, the second of eight children of Elizabeth Dickens (née Barrow; 1789–1863) and John Dickens (1785–1851). His father was a clerk in the Navy Pay Office and was temporarily stationed in the district. He asked Christopher Huffam, rigger to His Majesty's Navy, gentleman, and head of an established firm, to act as godfather to Charles. Huffam is thought to be the inspiration for Paul Dombey, the owner of a shipping company in Dickens's novel Dombey and Son (1848).In January 1815, John Dickens was called back to London and the family moved to Norfolk Street, Fitzrovia. When Charles was four, they relocated to Sheerness and thence to Chatham, Kent, where he spent his formative years until the age of 11. His early life seems to have been idyllic, though he thought himself a "very small and not-over-particularly-taken-care-of boy".Charles spent time outdoors, but also read voraciously, including the picaresque novels of Tobias Smollett and Henry Fielding, as well as Robinson Crusoe and Gil Blas. He read and reread The Arabian Nights and the Collected Farces of Elizabeth Inchbald. At age 7 he first saw Joseph Grimaldi—the father of modern clowning—perform at the Star Theatre, Rochester. He later imitated Grimaldi's clowning on several occasions, and would also edit the Memoirs of Joseph Grimaldi. He retained poignant memories of childhood, helped by an excellent memory of people and events, which he used in his writing. His father's brief work as a clerk in the Navy Pay Office afforded him a few years of private education, first at a dame school and then at a school run by William Giles, a dissenter, in Chatham. This period came to an end in June 1822, when John Dickens was recalled to Navy Pay Office headquarters at Somerset House and the family (except for Charles, who stayed behind to finish his final term at school) moved to Camden Town in London. The family had left Kent amidst rapidly mounting debts and, living beyond his means, John Dickens was forced by his creditors into the Marshalsea debtors' prison in Southwark, London in 1824. His wife and youngest children joined him there, as was the practice at the time. Charles, then 12 years old, boarded with Elizabeth Roylance, a family friend, at 112 College Place, Camden Town. Mrs Roylance was "a reduced impoverished old lady, long known to our family", whom Dickens later immortalised, "with a few alterations and embellishments", as "Mrs Pipchin" in Dombey and Son. Later, he lived in a back-attic in the house of an agent for the Insolvent Court, Archibald Russell, "a fat, good-natured, kind old gentleman ... with a quiet old wife" and lame son, in Lant Street in Southwark. They provided the inspiration for the Garlands in The Old Curiosity Shop.On Sundays – with his sister Frances, free from her studies at the Royal Academy of Music – he spent the day at the Marshalsea. Dickens later used the prison as a setting in Little Dorrit. To pay for his board and to help his family, Dickens was forced to leave school and work ten-hour days at Warren's Blacking Warehouse, on Hungerford Stairs, near the present Charing Cross railway station, where he earned six shillings a week pasting labels on pots of boot blacking. The strenuous and often harsh working conditions made a lasting impression on Dickens and later influenced his fiction and essays, becoming the foundation of his interest in the reform of socio-economic and labour conditions, the rigours of which he believed were unfairly borne by the poor. He later wrote that he wondered "how I could have been so easily cast away at such an age". As he recalled to John Forster (from Life of Charles Dickens): The blacking-warehouse was the last house on the left-hand side of the way, at old Hungerford Stairs. It was a crazy, tumble-down old house, abutting of course on the river, and literally overrun with.... Discover the Charles Dickens popular books. Find the top 100 most popular Charles Dickens books.
Best Seller Charles Dickens Books of February 2023
Already Gone (A Laura Frost FBI Suspense Thriller—Book 1)
Blake PierceMay 11, 2021GetHaunted by visions of the future, FBI Special Agent Laura Frost must tap her psychic talent to hunt diabolical serial killers—while keeping it secret from everyone around her. But with a t...
The Missing Ones
Patricia GibneyMarch 16, 2017GetThe hole they dug was not deep. A white flour bag encased the little body. Three small faces watched from the window, eyes black with terror. The child in the middle spoke without tur...
Sisters (Sun Valley Series, Book 1)
Kellie Coates GilbertMarch 2, 2017GetSet in America’s original ski resort, Sun Valley, Idaho— SISTERS offers a thought-provoking look at three women . . . and the choices they make when they realize their lives aren’t exa...
The Cowgirl's Forever Love
Vivian ArendMay 21, 2019GetReturn to Heart Falls—a place for family, friends, and falling in love. The first stand alone novel in a new trilogy by New York Times bestselling author Vivian Arend. Lisa C...
Wuthering Heights
Emily BrontëNovember 30, 1847GetAn Apple Books Classic edition. If you’ve only ever seen Wuthering Heights on screen, you may have an image of Catherine and Heathcliff as the ultimate star-crossed lovers. But that’s ju...
What I Like About You
Kait NolanJuly 19, 2019GetA horse-whispering loner After years as an Army Ranger, Sebastian Donnelly is content to be left alone with his horses. He's better with them than with...people. But that changes when his bo...
Apple Watch User Guide
Apple Inc.October 24, 2022GetHere’s everything you need to know about Apple Watch and the Apple Watch app on iPhone, straight from Apple. This definitive guide helps you get started using Apple Watch with watchOS 9 an...
Steal My Heart
Savannah KadeMarch 24, 2020GetClark is what she needs, but Walker is what she wants… Armed with a checklist and a solid understanding of the kind of partner she needs, Cara Larkin has waited patiently for Mr. Right to ...
The Holy Bible - King James Version
King JamesAugust 30, 2012GetHoly Bible King James Version Few Sample Paragraphs from The Holy Bible eBook, Genesis (OT) 1 Gen. 1 IN the beginning God created the heaven and the earth. 2 And the earth was without form, ...
I Have a Secret
Cheryl BradshawApril 25, 2012Get"The ending is a complete surprise!" - Reader Doug Ward has been running from his past for twenty years. But after his fourth whisky of the night, his steely resolve has started to cra...
Brant
Jodi BasyeFebruary 14, 2022GetHe's a cranky cowboy trying to save the family ranch. She's a freelance journalist hoping to get a full-time writing gig. What she writes could either make or break him. Brant Cross feels re...
How to Win Friends and Influence People
Dale CarnegieJuly 7, 2022GetHow to Win Friends and Influence People is a self-help book written by Dale Carnegie, first published in 1936. Over 30 million copies have been sold worldwide, making it one of the best-sell...
Today I Am Mad
Michael GordonSeptember 7, 2020GetKids feel emotions in big ways! Here's a great story for helping kids manage their feelings. * Help children learn to identify and regulate their ...
Fighter's Heart
A. Rivers & Alexa RiversJanuary 20, 2022GetHe's tattooed, cocky, and hot as hell. The MMA superstar everyone loves to hate. Now it's my job to clean up his image…before it's too late. I never meant to become the P.R. specialist for...
Become A Better Version of Yourself
Ben LeightonFebruary 22, 2015GetThis ebook contains golden nuggets on how to motivate, inspire and improve your current situation. It encompasses the holistic view of self improvement from mental& emotional wellbeing, ...
Mindfulness for Beginners: A Practical Guide To Awakening and Finding Peace In Your Life!
Alexander YamashitaJune 19, 2016GetThis book contains proven steps and strategies on how to apply the concepts and practices of mindfulness in day to day life.This textual guide begins by presenting common scenarios and moder...
Pride and Prejudice
Jane AustenJanuary 28, 1813GetAn Apple Books Classic edition. Jane Austen’s beloved classic opens with this witty and very memorable line: “It is a truth universally acknowledged, that a single man in possession of a...
Kingdoms of Sand: Books 1-3
Daniel ArensonOctober 23, 2018GetGame of Thrones meets Spartacus in an epic saga of sand and splendor. This bundle contains the first three novels of Kingdoms of Sand , a fantasy series from a ...
The Three Little Pigs
Mark LeskyMarch 22, 2016GetClassic fairy tales, legends and folk stories in short version without violence retold with lovely illustrations in simple language. Perfect for reading aloud to small children or for m...
The Very Hungry Caterpillar Library Books 1.1
Eric CarleMay 24, 2017GetThis is the series of The Very Hungry Caterpillar Little Learning Library Books. This book with Audio has been created as a university project for my last year. I have created lyrics and mus...
How to Find Peace
Beau NortonSeptember 23, 2015GetShatter the Illusions and Discover the Truth To 'know about' something is very different from KNOWING it. Perhaps you have some spiritual knowledge, but how often do you experience ...
Nowhere Safe (A Harley Cole FBI Suspense Thriller—Book 1)
Kate BoldSeptember 1, 2022Get“This is an excellent book… When you start reading, be sure you don’t have to wake up early!” —Reader review for The Killing Game FBI BAU special agent Harley Cole, as brilliant as...
Tempting Levi
Jules BarnardJune 6, 2017GetOff-limits never looked so tempting... Levi Cade’s firefighting career burned up after an accident on the job. Then is father died and left him in charge of the family’s multimillion-dol...
Stealth
Sarah PeisApril 28, 2022GetSome mistakes are worth repeating. Freya Olysses loves her quiet life in the sleepy little town of Ferguson. She's made a home where she least expected to. Until her past catches up with her...
Habits
Ronald A. ValentinoJanuary 31, 2016GetWant to learn how to be part of the 5% that seem to get everything they want? Look no further this book has the answer that will completely transform your life by teaching you the tech...
Stop Procrastinating & Overthinking: Learn The Mind Hacks To Cure Your Procrastination Habit And Improve Your Perseverance To Overcome Laziness. Eliminate Negative Thoughts And Stop Worrying
Sebastian GoodwinMarch 25, 2021Get"I TRIED EVERYTHING ELSE, BUT IT'S STILL A NEVER-ENDING BATTLE…" Everybody knows that procrastination is the biggest waste of time – I am talking about those moments when you imagine wha...
Dream Psychology
Sigmund FreudNovember 1, 1899GetAn Apple Books Classic edition. Written by the founding father of psychoanalysis, Sigmund Freud’s 1899 book is the definitive text on learning to interpret dreams. Freud’s groundbreaking...
Worth Billions
Lexy TimmsJune 4, 2018GetSmall towns are for small minds. I left for college and never looked back. Ensconced in my luxurious, and lucrative, vineyard, I barely ever spare a thought for my old life. Until I go...
Seascapes and Vegas Mistakes
Kay LyonsApril 18, 2022GetWhen a Las Vegas prank turns into an accidental and very legal marriage, Isabel Shipley is dead set on getting a discreet and hasty divorce. The last thing the struggling artist wants is to ...
The Art of War
Sun TzuOctober 4, 2010GetAn Apple Books Classic edition. It’s believed that Sun Tzu wrote this Chinese military primer during the 5th century BC-hundreds of years before the Bible. The book’s 13 chapters explore...
The Complete Works of Edgar Allan Poe (Illustrated, Inline Footnotes)
Edgar Allan PoeSeptember 16, 2016GetThe Novels of Edgar Allan Poe. • Narrative Of A. Gordon Pym. (Inline Footnotes) • The Journal Of Julius Rodman. (Illustrated / Inline Footnotes) The Complete Tales of Edgar Allan Poe. (I...
What Lies Beneath
Adam CroftJuly 28, 2020GetThe first in a stunning new crime series from 2m+ international bestseller Adam Croft. A peaceful Sunday morning in Rutland is shattered when a dead body is discovered on the rocks at Norman...
iPhone User Guide
Apple Inc.September 12, 2022GetHere’s everything you need to know about iPhone, straight from Apple. This definitive guide helps you get started using iPhone with iOS 16 and discover all the amazing things it can do.
Words of Wisdom - 100 Inspirational Quotations
Various AuthorsDecember 17, 2012GetFrom the world’s greatest thinkers across the centuries, Words of Wisdom is a delightful collection of advice and insight. With a quotation for every situation, flick through the pag...
The Chase
Elle KennedyAugust 6, 2018GetNew York Times bestseller! The first book in a new series from international bestselling author Elle Kennedy! Everyone says opposites attract. And they must be right, because there’s...
The Art Of Letting Go
Thought CatalogFebruary 29, 2016GetWe often struggle to let some people go especially when they made that decision. We question the universe, we question ourselves and we question everyone around us but we never truly get our...
Apple Watch User Guide
Apple Inc.September 16, 2021GetHere’s everything you need to know about Apple Watch and the Apple Watch app on iPhone, straight from Apple. This definitive guide helps you get started using Apple Watch with watchOS 8 an...
Let's Taco Bout It
Matthew RyanOctober 1, 2014GetMr Taco is feeling sad, it’s not easy being a little taco when everything around you is so BIG! Luckily, Patrick has a few ideas to help his friend... ———— NOT YOUR REGULAR S...
Explicit Instruction
Scarlett FinnJune 24, 2014GetEnemies to lovers: Held captive by a dirty-talking alpha. "I wouldn't do that if I were you." Lost, Flick walks into a nightmare. More terrifying than the evil that captured her, a looming s...
Baking Bad - A Cozy Mystery (With Dragons)
Kim M. WattNovember 4, 2018GetA tranquil village. A poisoned cupcake. A murdered vicar. A simple case - or it should be. But all clues point to the Toot Hansell Women's Institute, and Detective Inspector Adams is about t...
Catch
Evelyn MontogmeryJanuary 4, 2022GetHunter One look. One touch. One sound of her beautiful voice, and I’m hooked. Like a dream I never want to wake up from, she pulls me in and wraps me around her. Consumed. Driven wit...
Fat Cat Finds a Home
Michelle SmithFebruary 20, 2015GetAfter ten years of love from her previous owner, poor Fat Cat finds herself alone and looking for a new home. Will she ever leave the adoption shelter? Even at ten years old, Fat Cat still h...
Frankenstein
Mary ShelleyDecember 31, 1817GetAn Apple Books Classic edition. Mary Shelley was just 18 when she had a nightmare vision: “I saw the pale student of unhallowed arts kneeling beside the thing he had put together. I saw th...
Meditations
Emperor of Rome Marcus AureliusDecember 25, 2008GetMeditations is a series of personal writings by Marcus Aurelius, Roman Emperor 161–180 CE, setting forth his ideas on Stoic philosophy.
Law of Attraction
Jordan HollisAugust 29, 2018GetHow to Finally Overcome the Hurdles of Manifesting Proven, effective and enjoyable ways to help you manifest faster… Right now, think of something that makes you successful. If you have so...
Manifesting Abundance: How to Manifest Your Desires Using the Law of Attraction
Beau NortonSeptember 26, 2015GetDid you know that up to 95% of the people that attempt to use the law of attraction to manifest their desires see no noticeable results? The truth is that most people fail to use the law of ...
Finding Cinderella
Colleen HooverOctober 14, 2013Get#1 New York Times bestselling author of It Starts with Us and It Ends With Us writes a free novella about the search for happily ever after. A chance encounter in the dark leads eighteen-yea...
Girl, Alone (An Ella Dark FBI Suspense Thriller—Book 1)
Blake PierceDecember 16, 2020GetFBI Agent Ella Dark has studied serial killers from the time she could read, devastated by the murder of her own sister. With her photographic memory, she has obtained an encyclopedic knowle...
The Hunted
A.J. ScudiereJune 20, 2019GetLights out. Keep still. Pray for morning. Joule and Cage Mazur feel like prisoners in their home. With something new stalking the streets at night, their family’s only protection is boltin...
Best Seller Charles Dickens Audio Books of February 2023
- The Silent PatientAlex Michaelides$19.99
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- Why Has Nobody Told Me This Before?Julie Smith$4.99
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- Desert StarMichael Connelly$16.99
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- The Boys from Biloxi: A Legal Thriller (Unabridged)John Grisham$16.99
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- Extreme OwnershipJocko Willink & Leif Babin$14.99
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- The Power of Now: A Guide to Spiritual EnlightenmentEckhart Tolle$4.99
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- Stolen Focus: Why You Can't Pay Attention--and How to Think Deeply Again (Unabridged)Johann Hari$14.99
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- The Four Agreements (Unabridged)Don Miguel Ruiz$10.99
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- The Secret (Unabridged)Rhonda Byrne$12.99
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- Maybe Someday (Unabridged)Colleen Hoover$4.99
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- Friends, Lovers, and the Big Terrible ThingMatthew Perry$14.99
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- When You're Ready, This Is How You HealBrianna Wiest$9.99
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- Star Wars: The Battle of Jedha (The High Republic) (Unabridged)George Mann$12.99
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- Start with Why: How Great Leaders Inspire Everyone to Take Action (Unabridged)Simon Sinek$16.99
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- Greenlights (Unabridged)Matthew McConaughey$14.99
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- Local Woman MissingMary Kubica$4.99
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- The Guest ListLucy Foley$3.99
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- The Body Keeps the Score: Brain, Mind, and Body in the Healing of Trauma (Unabridged)Bessel van der Kolk, M.D.$14.99
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- Scars and Stripes (Unabridged)Tim Kennedy$16.99
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- Rich Dad Poor Dad: 20th Anniversary Edition: What the Rich Teach Their Kids About Money That the Poor and Middle Class Do Not! (Unabridged)Robert T. Kiyosaki$12.99
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- The 12 Week YearMichael Lennington$12.99
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- LividPatricia Cornwell$9.99
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- The Light We Carry: Overcoming in Uncertain Times (Unabridged)Michelle Obama$14.99
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- It Starts with Us (Unabridged)Colleen Hoover$14.99
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- As A Man ThinkethJames Allen$3.99
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- Never Finished: Unshackle Your Mind and Win the War Within (Unabridged)David Goggins$21.99
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- Sam: A Novel (Unabridged)Allegra Goodman$14.99
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- ManifestRoxie Nafousi$4.99
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- Tom Clancy Red Winter (Unabridged)Marc Cameron$14.99
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- The Midnight Library: A Novel (Unabridged)Matt Haig$14.99
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