Mad for Dickens?

So there is a nice article in the latest issue of Smithsonian Magazine: Going Mad for Charles Dickens



This makes me want to have another read of David Copperfield after many years. Miss Trotwood taking no nonsense from the Murdstone's. Mr. Micawber's shinning moment during the exposure and denouncement of Uriah Heep. . . . Every time I think I am getting a handle on my TBR list it just starts growing again.

Since this is a forum for ebook enthusiasts this quote from the Smithsonian article is right on point:

In December 2010, when Oprah Winfrey’s monthly book club selected A Tale of Two Cities and Great Expectations, publishers rushed 750,000 copies of a combined edition into print. (Sales were disappointing, however, in part because Dickens fans now can download the novels on e-readers free.)

It is worth mentioning that thanks to HarryT there are fine versions of all of Dickens' books available for download from the MR Library.

Oh, and mark the date of February 7 on your calenders, that's Dickens' 200th birthday.

[jgaiser]

Sadly, except for "The Christmas Carol", I've not read any Dicken's books. Maybe it's time to start.

[Dr. Drib]

Dickens is wonderful.

For the best formatted Dickens anywhere (in my opinion), try the titles available from MobileRead, assembled and formatted by Harry.



Don

[JaneD]

Thanks for the link! I do love me some Dickens. I think "Our Mutual Friend" is one of my favorites.

[issybird]

My favorite Dickens and what I think is his masterpiece is Great Expectations. That said, give me Trollope any day.

[JaneD]

Originally Posted by issybird

My favorite Dickens and what I think is his masterpiece is Great Expectations. That said, give me Trollope any day.

Oh, I love Trollope too! He has a bit more of a contemporary feel, with more of a psychological angle than Dickens. The Palliser novels are so wonderful!

[tubemonkey]

BBC Radio 4 Extra is currently airing a 3-part dramatized production of Barnaby Rudge. Broadcast info is available here. This novel is public domain, so free downloads of the ebook are readily available. Recommend the MobileRead versions edited by HarryT.

Barnaby Rudge: A Tale of the Riots of Eighty (commonly known as Barnaby Rudge) is a historical novel by British novelist Charles Dickens. Barnaby Rudge was one of two novels (the other was The Old Curiosity Shop) that Dickens published in his short-lived (1840–1841) weekly serial Master Humphrey's Clock. Barnaby Rudge is set during the Gordon Riots of 1780.

Barnaby Rudge was the fifth of Dickens' novels to be published. It had originally been planned to appear as his first, but changes of publisher led to many delays, and it first appeared in serial form in the Clock from February to November 1841.

It was Dickens' first attempt at a historical novel (his only other being the much later A Tale of Two Cities, also set in revolutionary times). It is one of his less esteemed novels and has rarely been adapted for film or television (the last attempt was a 1960 BBC production; prior to that, a silent film was made in 1915).

[tubemonkey]

Here are a few links for Charles Dickens:

• Dickens 2012 (official website)
• Charles Dickens Museum

• Charles Dickens - BBC History
• Charles Dickens - Victoria & Albert Museum
• Charles Dickens - Wikipedia

• Dickens on Radio 4 - BBC Radio 4
• Dickens on the BBC - BBC Media Centre
• Dickens on the BBC - Books on the BBC

• Charles Dickens - LibriVox
• Charles Dickens - MobileRead
• Charles Dickens - Project Gutenberg

• Charles Dickens - BBC Search
• Charles Dickens on the BBC - Radio 4 Blog

^^ Thanks for the information on the production of Barnaby Rudge! From your quote:

“It is one of his less esteemed novels and has rarely been adapted for film or television “

I actually liked that novel a good deal. My favorite is still David Copperfield, and a few others would be ahead of Barnaby Rudge, but in my book it still rates some esteem. But then I am a real fan of historical novels about real historical events, especially less well known history. I would love to see a good film production, or perhaps better a film record of a live theater production. Something like the great production by the Royal Shakespeare Company that I have on DVDs.

[HarryT]

I like it a lot, too, Hamlet. I think it's greatly underrated.

Originally Posted by issybird

My favorite Dickens and what I think is his masterpiece is Great Expectations. That said, give me Trollope any day.

Originally Posted by JaneD

Oh, I love Trollope too! He has a bit more of a contemporary feel, with more of a psychological angle than Dickens. The Palliser novels are so wonderful!

So another oversight in my reading experience. Strange that I can't recall Trollope being even mentioned in all my years of education. What looks to be a complete set of his works is available here at MR. So can Issybird, JaneD, or anyone suggest a good first Trollope novel. Ideally not overly long. I downloaded the Palliser omnibus that HarryT provided, but even the first novel in that series (Can You Forgive Her?) is over 900 pages. Not ready to tackle a book of that length at the moment.

[poohbear_nc]

Originally Posted by Hamlet53

So another oversight in my reading experience. Strange that I can't recall Trollope being even mentioned in all my years of education. What looks to be a complete set of his works is available here at MR. So can Issybird, JaneD, or anyone suggest a good first Trollope novel. Ideally not overly long. I downloaded the Palliser omnibus that HarryT provided, but even the first novel in that series (Can You Forgive Her?) is over 900 pages. Not ready to tackle a book of that length at the moment.

I'd suggest trying the Barsetshire series first - The Warden or Barchester Towers are fairly short (if I remember arightly) - and quite readable.

[HarryT]

Originally Posted by poohbear_nc

I'd suggest trying the Barsetshire series first - The Warden or Barchester Towers are fairly short (if I remember arightly) - and quite readable.

Yes, the first book in the "Chronicles of Barsetshire" (my other Trollope omnibus) is "The Warden". It's very short, and a great story.

[Katsunami]

I've started Oliver Twist yesterday, after having it on my "To read"-list for... Like forever, along with other Dickens stuff. It's a good read. I never thought I would be so happy with the Kindle dictionary. I never had the need to find a word ever before, but this is (finally) my first venture into the before-1900 classics. (Except for some stuff taught at school, many years ago, such as Chaucer.)

[JaneD]

Originally Posted by Hamlet53

So another oversight in my reading experience. Strange that I can't recall Trollope being even mentioned in all my years of education. What looks to be a complete set of his works is available here at MR. So can Issybird, JaneD, or anyone suggest a good first Trollope novel. Ideally not overly long. I downloaded the Palliser omnibus that HarryT provided, but even the first novel in that series (Can You Forgive Her?) is over 900 pages. Not ready to tackle a book of that length at the moment.

Most of my favorites are really, really long. Personally I think "He Knew He Was Right" is his best (of the stand-alones), but again, it's a big ol' book.

I've heard good things about "Dr. Wortle's School," though I've never read it. It's quite a bit shorter, almost a novella, and would give you a taste of his writing.

His most well-regarded works are definitely the Barsetshire series and the Palliser novels. I adore the Palliser novels, as I mentioned. Each one is a diamond. I believe "The Warden" is the first of the Barsetshire series and isn't quite as long as some of his other works. Might be a good place to start.