Other editions of book The Old Curiosity Shop: By Charles Dickens- Illustrated

Wildly popular at the time of its publication, The Old Curiosity Shop is the story of Little Nell Trent, a young orphan who lives with her grandfather in his London curiosity shop until a turn of fortune forces them onto the street and into the English countryside to beg for food and shelter. Pursued by Dick Swiveller and Quilp, Nell and her grandfather find refuge in a remote village, but at considerable cost to Nell’s health. The Old Curiosity Shop was originally published as a serial in 1841, generating unprecedented excitement around the fate of Nell and her grandfather. The Old Curiosity Shop has been adapted for film, television and the stage. HarperPerennial Classics brings great works of literature to life in digital format, upholding the highest standards in ebook production and celebrating reading in all its forms. Look for more titles in the HarperPerennial Classics collection to build your digital library.

How is this book unique? 15 IllustrationsTablet and e-reader formattedOriginal & Unabridged EditionBest fiction books of all timeOne of the best books to readClassic Bestselling NovelShort Biography is also includedClassic historical fiction booksBestselling FictionThe Old Curiosity Shop is a novel by Charles Dickens. The plot follows the life of Nell Trent and her grandfather, both residents of The Old Curiosity Shop in London. The Old Curiosity Shop was one of two novels (the other being Barnaby Rudge) which Dickens published along with short stories in his weekly serial Master Humphrey's Clock, which lasted from 1840 to 1841. It was so popular that New York readers stormed the wharf when the ship bearing the final instalment arrived in 1841. The Old Curiosity Shop was printed in book form in 1841. Queen Victoria read the novel in 1841, finding it "very interesting and cleverly written."

Death, innocence, sacrifice, and corruption--The Old Curiosity Shop is vintage Dickens. Provoking an unprecedented outpouring of public grief when it was first published, it follows the story of Little Nell and her feckless grandfather. Forced to leave their magical shop of curiosities in London, they are pursued across the English countryside by the grotesquely evil dwarf Quilp. They escape--but at what cost? Part tragedy, part allegory, this is Dickens at his most intense; drawing on his own experiences, he weaves a story of extraordinary emotional power.

Charles Dickens's "The Old Curiosity Shop" was published in serial form from 1840 to 1841 in a periodical titled Master Humphrey's Clock. The novel caused a sensation at the time and the ending sparked pubic demonstrations against the author.As a relatively early entry of Dickens's, "The Old Curiosity Shop" bridges his early work, such as "The Pickwick Papers", with his more familiar novels that he is remembered for today, including "A Tale of Two Cities" and "Great Expectations". In other words, we can look at "The Old Curiosity Shop" as a crucial step in Dickens's development as a writer.Among its many significant achievements, including one of the most detestable villains in all of literature, the novel might best be remembered for its interesting experiments with narrative structure. This is the form that the story takes and the perspective from which it is told."The Old Curiosity Shop" is the story of Little Nell Trent and the evil dwarf Quilp. When Little Nell’s grandfather gambles away his curiosity shop to his creditor Quilp, the girl and the old man flee London. Nell’s friend Kit Nubbles and a mysterious Single Gentleman (who turns out to be the wealthy brother of Nell’s grandfather) attempt to find them but are thwarted by Quilp...

The Old Curiosity Shop follows the story of Little Nell who lives with her grandfather in his magical shop of curiosities in London. Her grandfather's attempts to secure an inheritance for Nell lead them into financial trouble with the evil dwarf Quilp. Nell manages to flee and lead her grandfather to safety, but with considerable cost to her health.

In cold and brutal London, Little Nell and her devoted grandfather struggle to get by. Her grandfather wants the best for Nell, but in his efforts to secure her future, he ends up squandering what little money they have, and the two find themselves penniless. They wander as beggars, encountering a diverse crew of characters, all while pursued by friends and enemies from their past. The Old Curiosity Shop was an instant success when it was published, and even Queen Victoria read and enjoyed it. A tragic and moving tale of love and dedication against great obstacles, The Old Curiousiy Shop is an enduring piece of English literature.

The Old Curiosity Shop by Charles Dickens – a timeless literary masterpiece of the Victorian era – has captivated millions of hearts and minds of readers for a century and a half all over the world. This unique edition includes dedicated author’s biography, novel synopsis, historical context, little knows facts, contemporary critique and illustrations. This edition is also carefully formatted for comfortable reading.The plot of the novel is set most likely in 1825, although this is not specifically mentioned in the novel.‘The Old Curiosity Shop’ tells a story of Nell Trent and her grandfather, both of whom are residents of the shop in London – hence the title ‘Old Curiosity Shop’. The grandfather, whose name is actually never mentioned in the novel, loves little Nell dearly and wants to make her life happy. The way to do it, he thinks, is to gamble at cards secretly in the night time. He borrows large amounts of money from villain Daniel Quilp, a deformed money lender. There is a plot to have Nell married to one of the characters, and reported hidden fortune is in the picture as well. The evil dealings are orchestrated by fiendish Quilp. There are many more characters pivotal to the plot, but since it is a really engaging novel, no more can be revealed at this stage. Readers are encouraged to have a go and plunge into it themselves.‘The Old Curiosity Shop’ was first published in instalments between years 1840-1841.Charles Dickens was born in 1812 and died in 1870. He left a legacy of magnificent novels that are still very popular with readers.

For the character of Little Nell, the beautiful child thrown into a shadowy, terrifying world, Dickens drew on a tragedy in his own life, the death at the age of seventeen of his sister-in-law Mary Hogarth. Five years later he wrote, 'the desire to be buried next her is as strong upon me now ... and I know (for I don't think there ever was love like that I bear her) that it will never diminish.'

*ILLUSTRATED EDITIONThe Old Curiosity Shop is the story of Little Nell, a beautiful and virtuous young girl who lives with her grandfather in his shop of curiosities. Her only friend is Kit, an honest young lad who works at the shop, and whom she is teaching to write. Unbeknownst to Nell, her grandfather is obsessed with their precarious financial position, trying to make Nell a good inheritance by winning at cards. He keeps these nocturnal activities a secret but borrows heavily from the evil Quilp. Losing everything, the grandfather and Nell are forced to go on the run.

Full of the stark contrasts of youth and old age, beauty and deformity, goodness and malevolence, this Dickens classic resembles a fairy story. But, can goodness prevail in this realistic setting of Victorian England? Published first in serial form, The Old Curiosity Shop was an instant sensation, gripping a rapt Victorian public who were desperate to learn the fate of the beloved Little Nell. Dickens heart-warming classic is fully realized here through Anton Lessers stylish and elegant storytelling.

The novel was originally published in monthly instalments in the magazine Bentley's Miscellany, from February 1837 to April 1839. It was originally intended to form part of Dickens's serial, The Mudfog Papers. George Cruikshank provided one steel etching per month to illustrate each instalment. The novel first appeared in book form six months before the initial serialisation was completed, in three volumes published by Richard Bentley, the owner of Bentley's Miscellany, under the author's pseudonym, "Boz". It included 24 steel-engraved plates by Cruikshank.The Old Curiosity Shop tells the story of Nell Trent, a beautiful and virtuous young girl of "not quite fourteen". An orphan, she lives with her maternal grandfather (whose name is never revealed) in his shop of odds and ends. Her grandfather loves her dearly, and Nell does not complain, but she lives a lonely existence with almost no friends her own age. Her only friend is Kit, an honest boy employed at the shop, whom she is teaching to write. Secretly obsessed with ensuring that Nell does not die in poverty as her parents did, her grandfather attempts to provide Nell with a good inheritance through gambling at cards. He keeps his nocturnal games a secret, but borrows heavily from the evil Daniel Quilp, a malicious, grotesquely deformed, hunchbacked dwarf moneylender. In the end, he gambles away what little money they have, and Quilp seizes the opportunity to take possession of the shop and evict Nell and her grandfather. Her grandfather suffers a breakdown that leaves him bereft of his wits, and Nell takes him away to the Midlands of England, to live as beggars.Convinced that the old man has stored up a large and prosperous fortune for Nell, her wastrel older brother, Frederick, convinces the good-natured but easily led Dick Swiveller to help him track Nell down, so that Swiveller can marry Nell and share her supposed inheritance with Frederick. To this end, they join forces with Quilp, who knows full well that there is no fortune, but sadistically chooses to 'help' them to enjoy the misery it will inflict on all concerned. Quilp begins to try to track Nell down, but the fugitives are not easily discovered. To keep Dick Swiveller under his eye, Quilp arranges for him to be taken as a clerk by Quilp's lawyer, Mr. Brass. At the Brass firm, Dick befriends the mistreated maidservant and nicknames her 'the Marchioness'. Nell, having fallen in with a number of characters, some villainous and some kind, succeeds in leading her grandfather to safety in a far-off village (identified by Dickens as Tong, Shropshire), but this comes at a considerable cost to Nell's health.Meanwhile, Kit, having lost his job at the curiosity shop, has found new employment with the kind Mr and Mrs Garland. Here he is contacted by a mysterious 'single gentleman' who is looking for news of Nell and her grandfather. The 'single gentleman' and Kit's mother go after them unsuccessfully, and encounter Quilp, who is also hunting for the runaways. Quilp forms a grudge against Kit and has him framed as a thief. Kit is sentenced to transportation. However, Dick Swiveller proves Kit's innocence with the help of his friend the Marchioness. Quilp is hunted down and dies trying to escape his pursuers. At the same time, a coincidence leads Mr Garland to knowledge of Nell's whereabouts, and he, Kit, and the single gentleman (who turns out to be the younger brother of Nell's grandfather) go to find her. Sadly, by the time they arrive, Nell has died as a result of her arduous journey. Her grandfather, already mentally infirm, refuses to admit she is dead and sits every day by her grave waiting for her to come back until, a few months later, he dies himself.