or
Sign in to turn on 1-Click ordering.
 
 
More Buying Choices
97 used & new from £0.01

Have one to sell? Sell yours here
 
   
The Old Curiosity Shop (Wordsworth Classics)
 
 

The Old Curiosity Shop (Wordsworth Classics) (Paperback)

by Charles Dickens (Author), Hablot K. Browne (Illustrator), George Cattermole (Illustrator)
4.4 out of 5 stars  See all reviews (9 customer reviews)
Price: £1.99 & this item Delivered FREE in the UK with Super Saver Delivery. See details and conditions
o o o o o o o o o o o o o o o o o o o o o o o o o o o o o o o o o o o o o o o o o o o o o o o o o o o o o o o o o o o o o o o o
In stock.
Dispatched from and sold by Amazon.co.uk. Gift-wrap available.

Want guaranteed delivery by Friday, November 13? Choose Express delivery at checkout. See Details
19 new from £0.29 76 used from £0.01 2 collectible from £0.01

Frequently Bought Together

The Old Curiosity Shop (Wordsworth Classics) + Bleak House (Wordsworth Classics) + David Copperfield (Wordsworth Classics)
Price For All Three: £5.97

Show availability and delivery details


Customers Who Bought This Item Also Bought

Nicholas Nickleby (Wordsworth Classics)

Nicholas Nickleby (Wordsworth Classics)

by Charles Dickens
3.9 out of 5 stars (11)  £1.99
Martin Chuzzlewit (Wordsworth Classics)

Martin Chuzzlewit (Wordsworth Classics)

by Charles Dickens
4.6 out of 5 stars (7)  £1.99
The Pickwick Papers (Wordsworth Classics)

The Pickwick Papers (Wordsworth Classics)

by Charles Dickens
4.2 out of 5 stars (17)  £1.99
Barnaby Rudge (Wordsworth Classics)

Barnaby Rudge (Wordsworth Classics)

by Charles Dickens
4.1 out of 5 stars (10)  £1.99
Bleak House (Wordsworth Classics)

Bleak House (Wordsworth Classics)

by Charles Dickens
4.6 out of 5 stars (26)  £1.99
Explore similar items

Product details

  • Paperback: 608 pages
  • Publisher: Wordsworth Editions Ltd; New Ed edition (1 April 1995)
  • Language English
  • ISBN-10: 1853262447
  • ISBN-13: 978-1853262449
  • Product Dimensions: 19.6 x 12.7 x 1.8 cm
  • Average Customer Review: 4.4 out of 5 stars  See all reviews (9 customer reviews)
  • Amazon.co.uk Sales Rank: 11,569 in Books (See Bestsellers in Books)

    Popular in these categories:

    #24 in  Books > Fiction > The Classics > Dickens, Charles
    #92 in  Books > Fiction > By Period > 19th Century > Authors

Product Description

Product Description

This novel comes with an Introduction and Notes by Peter Preston, University of Nottingham and illustrations by Hablot K. Browne (Phiz) and George Cruickshank. "The Old Curiosity Shop" (1840-41), with its combination of the sentimental, the grotesque and the socially concerned, and its story of pursuit and courage, which sets the downtrodden and the plucky against the malevolent and the villainous, was an immediate popular success. Little Nell quickly became one of Dickens' most celebrated characters, who so captured the imagination of his readers that while the novel was being serialised, many of them wrote to him about her fate.


About the Author

Michael Slater is Professor of Victorian Literature at Birkbeck College in the University of London. He was editor of The Dickensian (1968-77) and President of the International Dickens Fellowship (1988-90). He has published many books and articles on Dickens.

Inside This Book (Learn More)
Explore More
Concordance
Browse Sample Pages
Front Cover | Copyright | Excerpt | Back Cover
Search inside this book:

Tags Customers Associate with This Product

 (What's this?)
Click on a tag to find related items, discussions, and people.
 

Your tags: Add your first tag
 

What Do Customers Ultimately Buy After Viewing This Item?

The Old Curiosity Shop (Wordsworth Classics)
84% buy the item featured on this page:
The Old Curiosity Shop (Wordsworth Classics) 4.4 out of 5 stars (9)
£1.99
Oliver Twist (Wordsworth Classics)
4% buy
Oliver Twist (Wordsworth Classics) 4.9 out of 5 stars (8)
£1.99
Great Expectations (Wordsworth Classics)
4% buy
Great Expectations (Wordsworth Classics) 4.8 out of 5 stars (19)
£1.99
A Tale of Two Cities (Wordsworth Classics)
4% buy
A Tale of Two Cities (Wordsworth Classics) 4.2 out of 5 stars (9)
£1.99

 

Customer Reviews

9 Reviews
5 star:
 (6)
4 star:
 (2)
3 star:    (0)
2 star:
 (1)
1 star:    (0)
 
 
 
 
 
Average Customer Review
4.4 out of 5 stars (9 customer reviews)
 
 
 
 
Share your thoughts with other customers:
Most Helpful Customer Reviews

 
19 of 19 people found the following review helpful:
5.0 out of 5 stars The essence of Charles Dickens , 28 Jul 2006
By Catfish "Ania" (Cambridge, UK) - See all my reviews
(TOP 500 REVIEWER)   
This is the story of a little girl called Nell, who together with her grandfather, must run away from a succession of villains in an almost epic journey! You'll find everything here that you love about Charles Dickens: humour, satire, drama, unforgettable characters, laughter, and tears (I read somewhere that when Dickens read The Old Curiosity Shop at his public readings, the audience would actually burst into mass tears!) There are moments of heart-warming joy and moments of despair, and I think anyone with empathy and imagination will love this classic tale of good and evil.

A word of warning though: if you buy an edition with annotations, don't read them!! I made this fatal mistake, and was informed by a note in the middle of the novel about the fate of one of the main characters and what happens to the person at the end. What a spoiler! It ruined the whole pleasure of reading for me and I only managed to finish because the narrative was so lovely... if it had been any other novel I would surely not have bothered to go on to the end. Allow yourself the pleasure of reading this novel for its warmth and literary greatness - don't touch the notes.
Comment Comment | Permalink | Was this review helpful to you? Yes No (Report this)



 
15 of 16 people found the following review helpful:
5.0 out of 5 stars An amazing piece of work, 10 April 2003
By Steven Brown - See all my reviews
(REAL NAME)   
I had bought this book in a multi-buy deal with other classics, and somehow it managed to sit on my bookshelf for almost a year before I got round to reading it - by the time I had finished it, I was kicking myself that it been wasting away for so long!

There are so many things going on it, and although some things are just *too* coincidental, it never fails to grab you into the story. Couple this with the fact that Dickens can draw a wonderful picture of London of his time, and you feel part of the whole thing.

The characters are wonderful as well - my favourites being Quilp, the evil dwarf, and Richard Swiveller (his antics 'working' in the office were always highly amusing).

In short, a real rollercoaster of a novel, thoroughly recommended!!

Comment Comment | Permalink | Was this review helpful to you? Yes No (Report this)



 
9 of 10 people found the following review helpful:
5.0 out of 5 stars Quite engrossing, 17 Jul 2001
By A Customer
"The Old Curiosty Shop" carries with it a heart-wrenching reputation, and therefore I resolved to read it. This reputation, as with that of it's creator himself, is not misplaced.

Certainly, the novel is not what one would term realistic - there are a few too many happy coincidences for that. However, this shortcoming is completely compensated for by the sheer vividness of the world Dickens creates. Each character can almost be seen by the reader, and simultaneously each evokes their own unique emotion, from passionate hatred to empathy and warmth.

As for it being heart-wrenching, nobody with a soul should be able to read this undeniable classic without being destinctly moved. Like most works by Charles Dickens, "The Old Curiosity Shop" carries with it the irresistible human understaning and quiet wit of it's creator, and as such is a novel that should be read by everybody.

Comment Comment | Permalink | Was this review helpful to you? Yes No (Report this)


Share your thoughts with other customers: Create your own review
 
 
 
Most Recent Customer Reviews

5.0 out of 5 stars Curiosity Shop
This is the first Dickens novel I have read since childhood and it certainly won't be the last. It is relatively short by Dickens standards but not the sort of book you would want... Read more
Published 4 months ago by John Stark

4.0 out of 5 stars A Good Read
I have just finished reading this book and I must say that I found it a little disjointed, although there were some real gems of characters in it - Swiveller, the Brasses, Quilp... Read more
Published on 7 Sep 2007 by L. Spurling

4.0 out of 5 stars Twee heroine but revel in the characters
The basic set up of this story may have pulled at Victorian heart stings but I thought it just silly : Nell, a young girl (12 I think) is brought into poverty by her uselss... Read more
Published on 3 Aug 2006 by David Morley

5.0 out of 5 stars Quite Delightful
I found this Charles Dickens novel quite what I expected: vividcharacters, demonic villains, comedy and tragedy together. I especiallyliked Mr. Swiveller and Marchionette. Read more
Published on 28 April 2004 by Ganime B. Akin

5.0 out of 5 stars An amazing piece of work
I had bought this book in a multi-buy deal with other classics, and somehow it managed to sit on my bookshelf for almost a year before I got round to reading it - by the time I... Read more
Published on 10 April 2003 by Steven Brown

2.0 out of 5 stars Old Curiosity Flop
Giving this book a rating of 5 stars does a grave disservice to the works of Charles Dickens. The Old Curiosity Shop has, at best, the elements of a fine novel, but does not... Read more
Published on 13 Feb 2002

Only search this product's reviews



Customer Discussions

This product's forum
Discussion Replies Latest Post
No discussions yet

Ask questions, Share opinions, Gain insight
Start a new discussion
Topic:
First post:
Prompts for sign-in
 


Active discussions in related forums
   
Related forums


Listmania!


Look for similar items by category


Look for similar items by subject


Feedback

Ad

Your Recent History

 (What's this?)

After viewing product detail pages or search results, look here to find an easy way to navigate back to pages you are interested in.