Little Dorrit (Everyman Dickens)

by Charles Dickens (Author)

• Used

  Paperback
  1999

  $4.55

  Little Dorrit (1857) centres around the Dorrit family. William Dorrit is a long-term inmate of the Marshalsea prison for debtors (where Dickens's own father spent some time). He derives comfort from the presence of his daughter Amy, 'Little Dorrit', who was born in the prison. It is unexpectedly discovered that William is heir to a fortune, and, with the notable exception of Amy, the family becomes arrogant and purse-proud as a consequence. As paupers, Old Dorrit and Amy were befriended by Arthus Clenman; when Clenman in his turn is imprisoned for debt Amy looks after him. Yet wealth presents a consistent obstacle to their union. Clenman's family history is also the key to an elaborate mystery in which the Dorrits are involved.

• Used

  Paperback
  1991

  $3.35

  Unlike some other reproductions of classic texts (1) We have not used OCR(Optical Character Recognition), as this leads to bad quality books with introduced typos. (2) In books where there are images such as portraits, maps, sketches etc We have endeavoured to keep the quality of these images, so they represent accurately the original artefact. Although occasionally there may be certain imperfections with these old texts, we feel they deserve to be made available for future generations to enjoy.

• New

  Paperback
  1996

  $7.54

  With an Introduction and Notes by Peter Preston, University of Nottingham. With Illustrations by Hablot K. Browne (Phiz). Little Dorrit is a classic tale of imprisonment, both literal and metaphorical, while Dickens' working title for the novel, Nobody's Fault, highlights its concern with personal responsibility in private and public life. Dickens' childhood experiences inform the vivid scenes in Marshalsea debtor's prison, while his adult perceptions of governmental failures shape his satirical picture of the Circumlocution Office. The novel's range of characters - the honest, the crooked, the selfish and the self-denying - offers a portrait of society about whose values Dickens had profound doubts. Little Dorrit is indisputably one of Dickens' finest works, written at the height of his powers. George Bernard Shaw called it 'a masterpiece among masterpices', a vedict shared by the novel's many admirers.