Charles Dickens

As the interminable case of 'Jarndyce and Jarndyce' grinds its way through the Court of Chancery, it draws together a disparate group of people: Ada and Richard Clare, whose inheritance is gradually being devoured by legal costs; Esther Summerson, a ward of court, whose parentage is a source of deepening mystery; the menacing lawyer Tulkinghorn; the determined sleuth Inspector Bucket; and even Jo, the destitute little crossing-sweeper. A savage, but...

Young Copperfield's life is happy at first, but he is forced to run away from his home following the arrival of his stepfather. David is then adopted by his aunt, Betsey Trotwood, sent to school at Canterbury and meets the unctuous Uriah Heep, whose activities lead eventually to David's self-discovery.

In this classic story, Ebenezer Scrooge learns the true meaning of Christmas after being visited by three ghosts.

Two of Dicken's novels are republished. The first follows a group from the tranquil roads of London to the vengeful, bloodstained streets of Paris at the height of the Reign of Terror. The second follows the life of the orphaned Pip from the wild Kent marshes through a series of events as he abandons his humble origins to begin a new life as a gentleman.

"This Norton Critical Edition, edited by the pioneer of Great Expectations scholarship, presents the most thorough textual edition of the novel (1861) available. The newly established text is based on all extant materials and is accompanied by several textual essays. Backgrounds provides readers with an understanding of Great Expectations's inception and internal chronology. A discussion of the public-reading version of the novel is also included....

Dickens' own childhood and youth are reflected in his novel of David Copperfield's early adventures and marriage

A miser learns the meaning of Christmas when three ghostly visitors review his past and foretell his future.