'An absolute gem . . . I was delightfully lost by the river throughout' Paul Whitehouse'Marvellous . . . The Catch leaves both its writer and its reader wonderfully "lost in water"' Robert Macfarlane'Penetrating and poetic, filled with honeyed prose and thoughtful criticism' The TimesA brilliant blend of memoir and biography, The Catch is a stunning m...

'One of my life's greatest tragedies is to have already read Pickwick Papers - I can't go back and read it for the first time' Fernando PessoaFew first novels have created as much popular excitement as The Pickwick Papers - a comic masterpiece that catapulted its twenty-four-year-old author to immediate fame. Readers were captivated by the adventures of the poet Snodgrass, the sportsman Winkle and, above all, by that quintessentially English Quixote, Mr Pickwick, ...

Bloomsbury presents The Catch written and read by Mark Wormald.‘An absolute gem . . . I was delightfully lost by the river throughout’ Paul Whitehouse‘Marvellous . . . The Catch leaves both its writer and its reader wonderfully "lost in water"’ Robert Macfarlane‘Penetrating and poetic, filled with honeyed prose and thoughtful criticism’ The TimesA brilliant blend of memoir and biography, The Catch is a stunning meditation on poetry and nature, and a quiet refle...

The fourteen contributors to this new collection of essays begin with Ted Hughes’s proposition that ‘every child is nature’s chance to correct culture’s error.’ Established Hughes scholars alongside new voices draw on a range of approaches to explore the intricate relationships between the natural world and cultural environments — political, as well as geographical — which his work unsettles. Combining close readings of his encounters with animals and places, and explorations of the poets ...

Dombey and Son is a novel by Charles Dickens, published in monthly parts from October 1846 to April 1848 and in one volume in 1848. Its full title is: Dealings with the Firm of Dombey and Son: Wholesale, Retail and for Exportation.The story concerns Paul Dombey, the wealthy owner of the shipping company of the book's title, whose dream is to have a son to continue his business. The book begins when his son is born, and Dombey's wife dies shortly after giving birth. Following the ad...

Regarded by Dickens himself as his best novel upon publication, the experiences of Martin Chuzzlewit relate a tale of familial selfishness and eventual moral redemption. While he is in love with the young Mary Graham, Martin alienates himself from his grandfather and begins working for the corrupt and dishonest Seth Pecksniff. Though he meets the unequivocally kind Tom Pinch during this apprenticeship, Martin is fired and decides to travel to the United States, where he nearly dies. It is ...

In these times of ours, though concerning the exact year there is no need to be precise, a boat of dirty and disreputable appearance, with two figures in it, floated on the Thames, between Southwark bridge which is of iron, and London Bridge which is of stone, as an autumn evening was closing in.The figures in this boat were those of a strong man with ragged grizzled hair and a sun-browned face, and a dark girl of nineteen or twenty, sufficiently like him to be recognizable as his d...

The novel satirises the shortcomings of both government and society, including the institution of debtors' prisons, where debtors were imprisoned, unable to work, until they repaid their debts. The prison in this case is the Marshalsea, where Dickens's own father had been imprisoned. Dickens is also critical of the lack of a social safety net, the treatment and safety of industrial workers, as well the bureaucracy of the British Treasury.

In "Sketches by Boz, Illustrative of Every-Day Life and Every-Day People," Charles Dickens presents a vivid panorama of early Victorian society through a series of masterfully crafted sketches. Utilizing a blend of realism and humor, Dickens captures the essence of London life, offering keen observations on social class, urbanization, and human relationships. The narrative style, characterized by lively dialogue and rich descriptions, invites readers into the bustling streets and diverse e...

discover or rediscover all the classics of literature. This Work contains an active table of contents (HTML), which makes reading easier to make it more enjoyable. In these five stories, Dickens celebrates the spirit of Christmas, sharing and charity, and denounces the social injustice that excludes the poor from this feast. It is a truculent portrait of everyday life and an unqualified condemnation of exploitation and misery. This social message, Dickens gives us gently, by the detour of ...

“Everything for one and for all!” In this concluding episode of the saga of the three Musketeers, the actions of Aramis and other musketeers - Athos, Porthos, and the most fascinating of all, D’Artagnan - bear honor or misfortune ... and one terrible punishment for the final loser in the real battle.

The story revolves around two brothers, James Durie (the Master of Ballantrae) and Henry Durie, who are opposites in character. James is charming, cunning, and ruthless, while Henry is more honorable and principled. Their rivalry intensifies when they both fall in love with the same woman, Alison Graeme.Set against the backdrop of the Jacobite uprising in Scotland, the brothers take opposing sides in the conflict. James supports the Jacobites, while Henry remains loyal to the British gover...