Charles Dickens (Very Interesting People) [Paperback]

Michael Slater (Author)

Book Description

Publication Date: June 18, 2007 | ISBN-10: 0199213526 | ISBN-13: 978-0199213528

Definitive, concise, and very interesting...

From William Shakespeare to Winston Churchill, the Very Interesting People series provides authoritative bite-sized biographies of Britain's most fascinating historical figures - people whose influence and importance have stood the test of time.

Each book in the series is based upon the biographical entry from the world-famous Oxford Dictionary of National Biography.

Editorial Reviews

About the Author

Michael Slater is Emeritus Professor of Victorian Literature, Birkbeck College, University of London.

Product Details

• Paperback: 128 pages
• Publisher: Oxford University Press, USA (June 18, 2007)
• Language: English
• ISBN-10: 0199213526
• ISBN-13: 978-0199213528
• Product Dimensions: 6.7 x 4.3 x 0.3 inches
• Shipping Weight: 3.5 ounces
• Average Customer Review: 5.0 out of 5 stars  See all reviews (2 customer reviews)
• Amazon Best Sellers Rank: #1,396,315 in Books (See Top 100 in Books)

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Customer Reviews

Most Helpful Customer Reviews

5 of 5 people found the following review helpful:

5.0 out of 5 stars A Bite-Sized Biography of Dickens by Michael Slater, December 3, 2007

By 

Herbert T. Moskovitz "Herbphilly" (Philadelphia, PA United States) - See all my reviews
(REAL NAME)   

This review is from: Charles Dickens (Very Interesting People) (Paperback)

Oxford University Press, home of the Oxford English Dictionary has put out a highly successful Shorter Edition of the O.E.D. Perhaps somebody there heard that Professor Michael Slater was working on a major new biography of Charles Dickens (for Yale Press) and had the bright idea to ask Professor Slater to put out a "bite-sized" biography of The Inimitable. (Actually this book is based on Professor Slater's entry on Dickens for the massive Oxford Dictionary of National Biography.)

This new book is part of a series about "Very Interesting People." Shakespeare, Newton, Darwin and George Eliot have also been given this abbreviated treatment with promises of James Joyce, Milton, Austen and Churchill to have their mini-biographies forthcoming soon. You may have noticed that the notables are all British.

I don't know how the other subjects will fare with their biographers, but Dickens could have no better biographer than Professor Slater. In just ninety pages we are treated to a surprisingly complete biography by one of today's most eminent Dickensians. Especially surprising since Dickens was not only an author, but also an editor, journalist, playwright, actor and concluded his life with a new career in public readings. All these, plus Dickens's personal life are all admirably covered, as is his work with various charities. Still the emphasis of the biography is on Dickens's novels. Professor Slater concludes with a fourteen page chapter about Dickens's reputation and legacy after his death, exploring his after-fame, his impact on world literature and his continuing presence on the stage as well as in film, television and radio. Everything of importance is here. Professor Slater's lucid writing style is, of course, a great boon, and the biography is eminently readable.

0 of 2 people found the following review helpful:

5.0 out of 5 stars Incredible speed!, January 21, 2010

By 

fashion-forward but underpaid "Lilly A" (Indianapolis, IN USA) - See all my reviews

Amazon Verified Purchase

This review is from: Charles Dickens (Very Interesting People) (Paperback)

I received this book within days of ordering it. I was VERY pleased with speed of delivery, and it was in better condition than advertised. I certainly recommend them!