The Old Curiosity Shop

Charles Dickens

Feb 2015 · Sold by Simon and Schuster

About this ebook

In cold and brutal London, Little Nell and her devoted grandfather struggle to get by. Her grandfather wants the best for Nell, but in his efforts to secure her future, he ends up squandering what little money they have, and the two find themselves penniless. They wander as beggars, encountering a diverse crew of characters, all while pursued by friends and enemies from their past. The Old Curiosity Shop was an instant success when it was published, and even Queen Victoria read and enjoyed it. A tragic and moving tale of love and dedication against great obstacles, The Old Curiousiy Shop is an enduring piece of English literature.

About the author

Charles Dickens, perhaps the best British novelist of the Victorian era, was born in Portsmouth, Hampshire, England on February 7, 1812. His happy early childhood was interrupted when his father was sent to debtors' prison, and young Dickens had to go to work in a factory at age twelve. Later, he took jobs as an office boy and journalist before publishing essays and stories in the 1830s. His first novel, The Pickwick Papers, made him a famous and popular author at the age of twenty-five. Subsequent works were published serially in periodicals and cemented his reputation as a master of colorful characterization, and as a harsh critic of social evils and corrupt institutions. His many books include Oliver Twist, David Copperfield, Bleak House, Great Expectations, Little Dorrit, A Christmas Carol, and A Tale of Two Cities. Dickens married Catherine Hogarth in 1836, and the couple had nine children before separating in 1858 when he began a long affair with Ellen Ternan, a young actress. Despite the scandal, Dickens remained a public figure, appearing often to read his fiction. He died in 1870, leaving his final novel, The Mystery of Edwin Drood, unfinished.