473. The Pickwick Papers (Charles Dickens)

Original cover of the serial

Synopsis from Amazon Canada:
Charles Dickens’s satirical masterpiece, The Pickwick Papers, catapulted the young writer into literary fame when it was first serialized in 1836–37. It recounts the rollicking adventures of the members of the Pickwick Club as they travel about England getting into all sorts of mischief. Laugh-out-loud funny and endlessly entertaining, the book also reveals Dickens’s burgeoning interest in the parliamentary system, lawyers, the Poor Laws, and the ills of debtors’ prisons.

My rating: 5 stars

293. The Mystery of Edwin Drood (Charles Dickens)

Original green front wrapper of Part II of The Mystery of Edwin Drood

Synopsis from Amazon:
Edwin Drood is contracted to marry Orphan Rosa, but they break the engagement off and soon afterwards Edwin disappears. Is it murder? And is his jealous uncle -- a sinister choirmaster with a double life and designs on Rosa -- the killer? Dickens died before completing the story, leaving the mystery unsolved and encouraging successive generations of readers to turn detective. In addition to its tantalizing crime, the novel also offers a characteristically Dickensian mix of the fantastical world of the imagination and a vibrantly journalistic depiction of gritty reality.

My rating: 4 stars

193. Great Expectations (Charles Dickens)

Synopsis from Amazon UK:
Great Expectations charts the progress of Pip from childhood through often painful experiences to adulthood, as he moves from the Kent marshes to busy, commercial London, encountering a variety of extraordinary characters ranging from Magwitch, the escaped convict, to Miss Havisham, locked up with her unhappy past and living with her ward, the arrogant, beautiful Estella. In this compelling story, Dickens shows the dangers of being driven by a desire for wealth and social status. Pip must establish his own sense of self against the plans which others seem to have for him, and thus discover a firm set of values and priorities. Whether such values will allow one to prosper in the complex world of early Victorian England is, however, the major question posed by Great Expectations, one of Dickens's most fascinating and disturbing novels.

My rating: 4 stars

4. Oliver Twist (Charles Dickens)

Cover page of Oliver Twist

Synopsis from Amazon UK:
The story of the orphan Oliver, who runs away from the workhouse only to be taken in by a den of thieves, shocked readers when it was first published. Dickens's tale of childhood innocence beset by evil depicts the dark criminal underworld of a London peopled by vivid and memorable characters - the arch-villain Fagin, the artful Dodger, the menacing Bill Sikes and the prostitute Nancy. Combining elements of Gothic Romance, the Newgate Novel and popular melodrama, Dickens created an entirely new kind of fiction, scathing in its indictment of a cruel society, and pervaded by an unforgettable sense of threat and mystery.

My rating: 5 stars

Publication information:

• First published as a book in 1838
• Publisher: Richard Bentley, London
• First edition: Three Volumes. By "Boz. " Illustrated by George Cruikshank. 8vos., original embossed fine-diaper cloth. With all half-titles, advertisements, and first issue points, including the "Fireside" plate. When Bentley decided to publish "Oliver Twist" in book form prior to the completion of its run in his magazine, George Cruikshank had to complete the last few plates in haste. Dickens did not review the new illustrations until the night before publication and he objected to plate #8 in volume three (facing page 313), better known as the "Fireside" plate, which depicts Oliver standing by Rose Maylie with Harry and old Mrs. Maylie gathered near the living room fireplace. Dickens had Cruikshank draw a new plate depicting Oliver and Rose standing before a tablet put up in the church in memory of his mother. This plate was subsequently inserted into later copies of the book and also used in the final issues of "Bentley's Magazine. " This set has the uncommon "Fireside" plate. Dickens not only objected to the "Fireside" plate but also to having the pseudonym "Boz" on all the title pages. Later copies of the book have "Charles Dickens" on the title pages. This set has the earlier "Boz" imprints in all volumes. One of Dickens' most famous works and in its earliest format and original binding. With a mounted photographic plate with a reproduction of Dickens tipped to the rear pastedown of volume three.