The extraordinary life & genius of Charles Dickens is brought alive for primary-age children by the author-illustrator team behind the bestselling What Mr Darwin Saw. Published to celebrate the bi-centenary of Dickens birth this beautifully & entertainingly illustrated 48 page picture book vividly dramatises his life beginning with his birth in Portsmouth & early childhood near the docks in Chatham & follows the young Charles through the hardship of working in a blacking factory at the age of 10 to his years at school & his early career as a reporter. Key incidents that inspired the later novels are described & his marriage family life dramatic readings & tours of the USA are included. What emerges is touching portrait of a writer with amazing observational skills a social conscience & a strong sense of drama. Mick Manning & Brita Granstrom specialise in fun lively non-fiction picture books. They share the illustrations between them & mix up words & pictures in inventive & delightful ways. They have won many awards including the Smarties Silver Award & the English Association Award. As well ast What Mr Darwin Saw their recent successes include Tail-End Charlie & Taff in the WAAF. ...

Charles Dickens" is the acclaimed definitive biography by bestselling author Claire Tomalin. Charles Dickens was a phenomenon: a demonicly hardworking journalist the father of ten children a tireless walker & traveller a supporter of liberal social causes but most of all a great novelist
- the creator of characters who live immortally in the English imagination: the Artful Dodger Mr Pickwick Pip David Copperfield Little Nell Lady Dedlock & many more. At the age of twelve he was sent to work in a blacking factory by his affectionate but feckless parents. From these unpromising beginnings he rose to scale all the social & literary heights entirely through his own efforts. When he died the world mourned & he was buried
- against his wishes
- in Westminster Abbey. Yet the brilliance concealed a divided character: a republican he disliked America; sentimental about the family in his writings he took up passionately with a young actress; usually generous he cut off his impecunious children. From the award-winning author of " Samuel Pepys" " Charles Dickens: A Life" paints an unforgettable portrait of Dickens capturing brilliantly the complex character of this great genius. If you loved " Great Expectations" " Oliver Twist" & "A Christmas Carol" this book is invaluable reading. " By far the most humane & imaginatively sympathetic account yet for the general reader". (Amanda Craig " New Statesman"). Claire Tomalin is the award-winning author of eight highly acclaimed biographies including: " The Life & Death of Mary Wollstonecraft"; " Shelley & His World"; " Katherine Mansfield: A Secret Life"; " The Invisible Woman: The Story of Nelly Ternan & Charles Dickens"; " Mrs Jordan's Profession"; " Jane Austen: A Life"; " Samuel Pepys: The Unequalled Self"; " Thomas Hardy: The Time-Torn Man" & most recently " Charles Dickens: A Life". A former literary editor of the " New Statesman" & the " Sunday Times" she is married to the playwright & novelist Michael Frayn."


...

Charles Dickens" is the definitive illustrated guide to the man & his works. It follows Dickens from early childhood including his time spent as a child labourer & looks at how he became the greatest celebrity of his age
- & how he still remains recognized as one of Englands greatest celebrities even in the twenty-first century. The book also takes an intimate look at what he was like as a husband a father a friend & an employer; at his longing to be an actor at his travels across North America his year spent living in Italy & his great love of France. Alongside Dickens himself readers will meet his fascinating family & his astonishing circle of friends
- & will discover when & how life & real-life personalities were imitated in Dickens art. The cast of characters in " Charles Dickens" embraces an incredible array of famous
- & occasionally infamous
- Victorians."



...

Charles Dickens was a phenomenon: a demonicly hardworking journalist the father of ten children a tireless walker & traveller a supporter of liberal social causes but most of all a great novelist
- the creator of characters who live immortally in the English imagination: the Artful Dodger Mr Pickwick Pip David Copperfield Little Nell Lady Dedlock & many more. At the age of twelve he was sent to work in a blacking factory by his affectionate but feckless parents. From these unpromising beginnings he rose to scale all the social & literary heights entirely through his own efforts. When he died the world mourned & he was buried
- against his wishes
- in Westminster Abbey. Yet the brilliance concealed a divided character: a republican he disliked America; sentimental about the family in his writings he took up passionately with a young actress; usually generous he cut off his impecunious children. Claire Tomalin author of Whitbread Book of the Year Samuel Pepys" paints an unforgettable portrait of Dickens capturing brilliantly the complex character of this great genius. " Charles Dickens: A Life" is the examination of Dickens we deserve."


...

Charles Dickens is not only the author of some of the best-loved stories in the English language but also the creator of some of its most memorable characters. Meet them all between the pages of this splendid book which retells in lively comicstrip style five of Dickens most popular stories: Oliver Twist" " Great Expectations" "A Tale of Two Cities" " David Copperfield" & "A Christmas Carol"." ...

Encounter some of literature's most iconic characters
- Oliver Twist the Artful Dodger Miss Havisham Pip & Ebenezer Scrooge
-

...

No novelist is as intimately connected to a great city as Dickens is to London. The vibrancy & variety of the city determined the shape & character of Dickens work & he in turn re-created London in his fiction. Andrew Sanders retraces Dickens footsteps through the streets alleys highways & byways of the city exploring the physical nature & architecture of Victorian London. He follows Dickens & his characters from the slums to the City from the mansions of Mayfair to the respectable inner suburbs of Islington & Bloomsbury. He journeys from the untidiness of Walworth & Camden Town to the villas of Twickenham & Hampstead & semi-rural retreats of Dulwich Finchley & Highgate. Although vastly changed with time the London that Dickens created is still vividly present in his writing. The first & greatest of urban novelists Dickens captures the essence of the central modern social phenomenon
- the excitements & problems of the city.
...

This is a collection of 5 of Dickens best-known novels: Oliver Twist" "A Christmas Carol" " David Copperfield" " Great Expectations" & "A Tale of Two Cities". This volume of fiction that truly captures the Victorian era will make an artful addition to any home library. Many readers know Victorian England through the writings of Charles Dickens. Not only did Dickens put a face to the era through his memorable characters he also captured the spirit of his age in entertaining fiction spun from its social concerns & historical events. This literary omnibus brings together five of Dickens best-known novels: " Oliver Twist" "A Christmas Carol" " David Copperfield" " Great Expectations" & "A Tale of Two Cities". Prolific energetic & committed to social change no other novelist of the time did as much as Charles Dickens to rally his readers to action & no other writer at any time has created such an extraordinary collection of well-loved novels. This exquisitely designed leatherbound edition has distinctive gilt edging & an attractive silk-ribbon bookmark; it will make an artful addition to any home library." ...

Charles Dowding the master of no-dig gardening developed his highly successful methods of vegetable growing through 30 years experience of growing & selling vegetables & extensive experiments. Through his courses at Lower Farm in Somerset & his three previous books he has won a keen following. Beginners & experienced veg growers alike find that his methods work & that he opens their minds to new possibilities. Now he has distilled the essence of his courses & ideas into one book. In it you will find out how to grow vegetables the Charles Dowding way. Charles Dowdings Vegetable Course is both a straightforward guide to success & an inspiring source of ideas for achieving a more productive vegetable garden for less effort. Lower Farm run by Charles & Susie Dowding has been part of Sawdays Special Places to Stay collection for 12 years. Click the link on the left to visit Sawdays to find out about accommodation at Lower Farm & our other characterful independently-run places to stay across the UK & Europe. All have been inspected & selected because we like them
- what makes each special varies hugely but common to all are owners whose personality friendliness & local knowledge ensure a memorable stay.
...

Charles I was a complex man whose career intersected with some of the most dramatic events in English history. He played a central role in provoking the English Civil War & his execution led to the only republican government Britain has ever known. Historians have struggled to get him into perspective veering between outright condemnation & measured sympathy. Richard Cust shows that Charles I was not unfit to be a king emphasising his strengths as a party leader & conviction politician but concludes that none the less his prejudices & attitudes & his mishandling of political crises did much to bring about a civil war in Britain. He argues that ultimately after the war Charles pushed his enemies into a position where they had little choice but to execute him. ...