Nicholas Nickleby (Oxford World's Classics) [Paperback]

Charles Dickens (Author), Paul Schlicke (Editor)

Book Description

Publication Date: February 15, 2009 | Series: Oxford World's Classics

Our hero confronts a large and varied cast, including Wackford Squeers, the fantastic ogre of a schoolmaster, and Vincent Crummles, the grandiloquent ham actor, on his comic and satirical adventures up and down the country. Punishing wickedness, befriending the helpless, strutting the stage, and falling in love, Nicholas shares some of his creator's energy and earnestness as he faces the pressing issues of early Victorian society.
About the Series: For over 100 years Oxford World's Classics has made available the broadest spectrum of literature from around the globe. Each affordable volume reflects Oxford's commitment to scholarship, providing the most accurate text plus a wealth of other valuable features, including expert introductions by leading authorities, voluminous notes to clarify the text, up-to-date bibliographies for further study, and much more.

Editorial Reviews

About the Author

Charles Dickens (1812-70) is one of England's greatest novelists. Born into a poor family (his father was once imprisoned for debt), Dickens became both rich and famous in his lifetime.

Product Details

• Paperback: 926 pages
• Publisher: Oxford University Press, USA (February 15, 2009)
• Language: English
• ISBN-10: 0199538220
• ISBN-13: 978-0199538225
• Product Dimensions: 7.6 x 5.1 x 1.7 inches
• Shipping Weight: 1.3 pounds (View shipping rates and policies)
• Average Customer Review: 4.0 out of 5 stars  See all reviews (2 customer reviews)
• Amazon Best Sellers Rank: #96,337 in Books (See Top 100 in Books)
  • #5 in Books > 4-for-3 Books > Literature & Fiction > World Literature > British > 19th Century
  • #17 in Books > 4-for-3 Books > Literature & Fiction > Authors, A-Z > ( D ) > Dickens, Charles
  • #44 in Books > 4-for-3 Books > Literature & Fiction > World Literature > British > General

More About the Author

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.

Customer Reviews

Most Helpful Customer Reviews

3 of 3 people found the following review helpful:

5.0 out of 5 stars Close to perfect...?, May 29, 2011

By 

PuroShaggy - See all my reviews

This review is from: Nicholas Nickleby (Oxford World's Classics) (Paperback)

While it may be an overstatement to say that there is not a wasted word in a 762 page novel, at least it feels like there is not a wasted word in Charles Dickens's 762 page "Nicholas Nickleby". Generally described as being a critique on the deplorable conditions of reform schools during the 1800's, this epic novel is that and much more- comedy, romance, farce, social critique, and by and by, brilliant. The title character is a down-on-his-luck do-gooder who finds himself working at an all boys school in which the boys, to say the least, are mistreated. After rescuing and escaping with one of the more abused youth, Nicholas leads a series of adventures in which he finds himself working for a theater troupe, confounding the evil machinations of his heartless uncle, and resisting the urges of young love. The book is filled with dozens of characters, each on the verge of being a carictature, but ultimately memorable thanks to Dicken's descriptive prowess. Laugh out loud funny most of the time, Dickens balances witty dialogue that would not be out of place in a Monty Python script with short bursts of heartfelt philosophy that capture the human condition in all its glory. The novel's greatest triumph is that the various threads which run throughout the book are tidied up in the final pages not only in a non-contrived way, but with insight and revelation into the actions of some of its more baser characters.
All in all, an amazing read and easily one of the highlights of a literary career filled with many.

3.0 out of 5 stars Nicholas Nickleby, December 9, 2011

By 

Bill (Augusta, GA USA) - See all my reviews

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This review is from: Nicholas Nickleby (Oxford World's Classics) (Paperback)

Difficult to read, but an interesting story. I must say he did like to describe the surroundings. I would have rather gotten on with the story. He also made some of his characters too "wordy".