This is a captivating history of England for children from one of the best-loved novelists of all time. Written just after David Copperfield, at the same time as "Bleak House", and in the engaging and conversational style typical of his most celebrated fiction, Dickens' "History of England for Children" is an undiscovered treasure trove of a book. This carefully selected, lightly abridged version shows traditional storytelling at its best. Dickens' lovable theatricality, witty observations and compelling narrative give children access to one of England's greatest writers, and to some of the most powerful stories from its past. For adults, it offers an engaging reminder of the English history we ought to know: who was Hereward the Wake, how was it that Thomas a Becket was murdered in Canterbury Cathedral, and was Canute really trying to stop the tide? Interesting, informative and accessible, "A Child's History of England" takes its reader on a fascinating journey, from Ancient England and the Romans to Victoria's reign and Dickens' own lifetime. Full of sensational plots, gallant heroes and brutal villains, high adventure and terrible tragedy, it will appeal to anyone who enjoys a good story and some horrible history!
One of the grand masters of Victorian literature, Charles Dickens was born on February 7, 1812, in Landport, Portsea, England. He died in Kent on June 9, 1870. The second of eight children of a family continually plagued by debt, the young Dickens came to know not only hunger and privation,but also the horror of the infamous debtors' prison and the evils of child labor. A turn of fortune in the shape of a legacy brought release from the nightmare of prison and "slave" factories and afforded Dickens the opportunity of two years' formal schooling at Wellington House Academy. He worked as an attorney's clerk and newspaper reporter until his Sketches by Boz (1836) and The Pickwick Papers (1837) brought him the amazing and instant success that was to be his for the remainder of his life. In later years, the pressure of serial writing, editorial duties, lectures, and social commitments led to his separation from Catherine Hogarth after twenty-three years of marriage. It also hastened his death at the age of fifty-eight, when he was characteristically engaged in a multitude of work.
