The Old Curiosity Shop

by Charles Dickens

Overview

The Old Curiosity Shop was initially published in a weekly serial, "Master Humphrey's Clock", between 1840 and 1841. Nell Trent, the protagonist of this novel, is an overwhelmingly good little girl who is orphaned into the care of her Grandfather, the purveyor of an odds and ends shop. Her grandfather is a benevolent man, yet he hides behind a dark secret; he has been consumed with the habit of gambling; eventually he gambles away his shop to his creditor Daniel Quilp, one of the most heinous of all of Dickens' villains. Nell and her grandfather flee London and, in their pursuit, they encounter a range of characters that are both goodhearted and the embodiment of evil. The Old Curiosity Shop is an insightful tragedy of sorrows that brilliantly paints the range of human intention.

Product Details

ISBN-13:	9789395034258
Publisher:	HAWK PRESS
Publication date:	06/10/1994
Pages:	522
Product dimensions:	5.50(w) x 8.50(h) x 1.16(d)
Age Range:	7 - 11 Years

About the Author

Charles Dickens (1812-1870) is regarded as one of the greatest authors of the Victorian era. Many of his own life experiences, including child labor, were the basis of his novels. As a young reporter he wrote sketches of everyday life in London. His first serialized novel was The Pickwick Papers (1836), a work that brought him great success. He went on to publish 15 beloved novels, essays, and novellas, including Oliver Twist, A Tale of Two Cities, and A Christmas Carol. Many of his vivid characters are among the most beloved in English literature

Date of Birth:

February 7, 1812

Date of Death:

June 18, 1870

Place of Birth:

Portsmouth, England

Place of Death:

Gad's Hill, Kent, England

Education:

Home-schooling; attended Dame School at Chatham briefly and Wellington

Table of Contents

	A Dickens Chronology	vii
	Introduction	xi
	Further reading	xxix
	A Note on the Text	xxxi
	The Old Curiosity Shop	1
	Notes	557

Editorial Reviews

Gr 7-12-Dickens story of contrasts: youth and old age, beauty and deformity, freedom and restraint.

School Library Journal

Naxos adds to its collection of some 20 abridged and unabridged Dickens recordings this novel following the lives of orphan Nell Trent and her loving grandfather, both residents of The Old Curiosity Shop in London. Though wildly popular when first published in the early 1840s, this is not among Dickens's best works—it is short on truly memorable characters and flawed by sloppy blending of its complex story lines. Still, narrator Anton Lesser's (Great Expectations) strong performance helps to compensate for these weaknesses. Curiosity Shop is not good as an introduction to the author, but those familiar with his oeuvre will appreciate the added value Lesser's evocative narration brings to the audio edition of this work. [An abridged alternate recording of this title, read by Paul Scofield, is available from Phoenix Audio.—Ed.]—R. Kent Rasmussen, Thousand Oaks, CA

Library Journal

For listeners who shy away from Dickens because of the oppressive length of some of his novels, audio programs like this one are an ideal alternative. THE OLD CURIOSITY SHOP is the story of Little Nell, who really isn't that little, and her grandfather, who tries to build a fortune for her by gambling. At about three times the length of a stage play, this dramatization bites off a good chunk of the novel. While the production uses music and sound effects tastefully, the focus is on the acting, and the entire cast is excellent. Phil Daniels is suitably evil sounding in his role as Quilp, the creditor, and narrator Alex Jennings is the ideal scene-setter and guide. D.B. © AudioFile 2007, Portland, Maine

JUN/JUL 07 - AudioFile