The world celebrates the 200th anniversary of the birth of iconic British writer Charles Dickens this month. Born Charles John Huffam Dickens on 7 February 1812, he is arguably one of the greatest authors of the Victorian era, if not of English literature.
What better way is there than to make the celebration your own by spending some time with this man who continues to live beyond the grave? For those who have relegated Dickens to literature classes and readers who have vowed never to read classic novels out of their own free will – perhaps one of the books below will inspire you to give it a try again. And for those who have regaled in the adventures of Oliver, Nelly, and Pip – take this occasion to read about the personality who invented these characters. If the number of biographies written on him is anything to go by, Dickens is certainly a literary celebrity!
So really, two centuries on there is still something worth commemorating for every reader. Here are a few titles from our collection that will hopefully appeal to the various fiction readers out there:
If you are a Dickens starter…
With the numerous adaptations on all forms of media, we all probably know how A Christmas Carol goes. But how many of us have read the original, unabridged book? By far his most popular book, it should be top on the list for the Dickens starter, no matter what the age:
Title: A Christmas carol with ‘a christmas tree’
Author: Charles Dickens, illustrated by Robert Ingpen
Publisher: Dorking: Templar Publishing, 2008
Call no.: J English DIC
If you’ve read all his novels…
Did you know Dickens also wrote short stories, some of which were co-authored with his contemporaries?
Title: Somebody’s Luggage
Authors: Charles Dickens, with John Oxenford, Charles Allston Collins, Arthur Locker & Julia Cecilia Stretton
Publisher: London : Hesperus, 2006
Call no.: English SOM
Title: A House to Let
Authors: Charles Dickens, with Wilkie Collins, Elizabeth Gaskell & Adelaide Anne Procter
Publisher: London: Hesperus Press, c2004
Call no.: English DIC
If you wish you could talk to Dickens…
Coffee with Dickens is really that – an imagined dialogue with the very man (though you will have to bring your own coffee!). Also, it’s pocket-sized and perfect for readers on the go!
Title: Coffee with Dickens
Author: Paul Schlicke
Publisher: London: Duncan Baird Publishers, 2008
Call no.: English 823.8 SCH
If you love details and would like to pour over his life…
This seven-hundred-and-twenty-pager might just do it!
Title: Charles Dickens
Author: Michael Slater
Publisher: New Haven: Yale University Press, c2009
Call no.: English 823.8 SLA
If you’d like a biography but the one above is way too much…
At a manageable 206 pages, try this from Oxford’s ‘Authors in Context’ series.
Title: Charles Dickens
Author: Andrew Sanders
Publisher: Oxford University Press, 2003
Call no.: 823.8 SAN
If you don’t read Dickens (and classics in general) because you don’t want to feel like you are back in school…
It’s a common comment by readers who are reluctant to read classic literature. Were literature lessons that bad? I don’t think recommending anything by Dickens would help here, and I’m doubtful a read-alike reflective of 19th century prose would be a good carrot either. I’m thinking that most people can’t resist a mystery, so let’s try New York Times bestselling crime author Anne Perry’s anthology of stories where Dickensian characters find themselves in freshly-spun, mystery-laden plots!
Title: Death by Dickens
Editor: Anne Perry
Publisher: New York: Berkley Prime Crime, 2004
Call no.: English DEA –[MY]
If you’ve read everything Dickens but you still want more…
Sadly, Dickens will never write again. Don’t despair – read-alikes could help to stave off any withdrawal symptoms. Jack Maggs is a variation of Great Expectations, where this time we hear the story from Abel Magwitch, and not Pip!
Title: Jack Maggs
Author: Peter Carey
Publisher: London: Faber & Faber, 2011
Call no.: English CAR
All book covers are copyright of their respective publishers.
Contributed by Carmen Wong, Associate Librarian, Public Libraries Singapore
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1 Carmen has read Coffee with Dickens | High Browse Online // Feb 27, 2012 at 7:05 pm
[...] February 2012. In NLB, we’ve celebrated it with book display posters and a fiction alert here on High Browse. I’ve picked out Coffee with Dickens to take a closer look at Dickens and his [...]
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