Old Curiosity Shop

First published as a weekly serial from 1840 to 1841, "The Old Curiosity Shop" by Charles Dickens is a novel that details the life of a beautiful young orphaned girl named Nell Trent. As the story begins, she lives with her loving grandfather in his London curiosity shop, happy, but lonely with only Kit, a kind and honest boy employed in the shop, for a friend. Their fortunes take a turn for the worse when her grandfather loses badly at his secret nighttime gambling activities, something he only did in the hope of affording a better life for Nell. The cruel money lender Daniel Quilp seizes the shop to pay the grandfather's debt and they are forced to leave for the English countryside, penniless and alone. After their departure, they are sought by both friends who wish to help them and cruel men with harmful designs. Nell and her grandfather, forced to beg for their support, ultimately experience the extremes of human loyalty and villainy in their state of abject poverty. Although one of his lesser-known works, Dickens artfully displays a cast of diverse characters in a tale that captivates readers from the first page to its tragic conclusion. This edition includes a biographical afterword.

"The greatest writer of his time."-Edmund Wilson "One of the great poets of the novel, a genius of his art"-Edgar Johnson "His characters are marvelous, his insights wonderful…you don't expect reality but you get something bigger and better."-Ruth Rendell The Old Curiosity Shop was initially published in a weekly serial, "Master Humphrey's Clock", between 1840 and 1841. Charles Dickens' story of the frail and innocent orphan had become such a phenomenon that New Yorkers stormed to the wharf in expectation of the ship carrying the final episode from England. The Old Curiosity Shop, ultimately published in book form in 1841, is considered a lesser known work from Dickens, yet its moving story is one of the finest examples of sentimental Victorian literature. Nell Trent, the protagonist of this novel, is an overwhelmingly good little girl who is orphaned into the care of her Grandfather, the purveyor of an odds and ends shop. Her grandfather is a benevolent man, yet he hides behind a dark secret; he has been consumed with the habit of gambling; eventually he gambles away his shop to his creditor Daniel Quilp, one of the most heinous of all of Dickens' villains. Nell and her grandfather flee London and, in their pursuit, they encounter a range of characters that are both goodhearted and the embodiment of evil. The Old Curiosity Shop is an insightful tragedy of sorrows that that brilliantly paints the range of human intention. With an eye-catching new cover, and professionally typeset manuscript, this edition of The Old Curiosity Shop is both modern and readable.

Wildly popular at the time of its publication, The Old Curiosity Shop is the story of Little Nell Trent, a young orphan who lives with her grandfather in his London curiosity shop until a turn of fortune forces them onto the street and into the English countryside to beg for food and shelter. Pursued by Dick Swiveller and Quilp, Nell and her grandfather find refuge in a remote village, but at considerable cost to Nell's health. The Old Curiosity Shop was originally published as a serial in 1841, generating unprecedented excitement around the fate of Nell and her grandfather. The Old Curiosity Shop has been adapted for film, television and the stage.

History will changeSarah Lester's mother is missing and the Indian uprising holds her father captive. The police want to question her, and even the church is demanding its pound of flesh. Her return to the Old Curiosity Shop raises more questions than answers.Waiting in the shadows is a vengeful Richard Grey. After discovering Sarah's ability to travel through time, nothing will stop him from restoring his family name to its former glory. Not even time.Can Sarah reunite her scattered family before Grey closes the doorway to the past?Telegram Home is the final book Kirsten McKenzie's Old Curiosity Shop time travel trilogy.The Old Curiosity Shop Time Travel TrilogyFifteen PostcardsThe Last LetterTelegram HomeThe Ithaca Trilogy is the spinoff series from the bestselling Old Curiosity Shop time travel mystery series, and features a number of the same characters, and the continuation of their stories.The Ithaca Time Travel TrilogyIthaca BoundIthaca LostIthaca Found Kirsten McKenzie fought international crime for fourteen years as a Customs Officer in both England and New Zealand, before leaving to work in the family antique store. Now a full time author, she lives in New Zealand with her family and alternates between writing time travel trilogies and polishing her next thriller. Her spare time is spent organising author events and appearing on literary panels at various festivals around the world.You can sign up for her sporadic newsletter at: https://www.kirstenmckenzie.com/newsletter/You can also find her on Facebook, Instagram, Pinterest and TikTok.

Originally published along with short stories in his weekly serial "Master Humphrey's Clock" from 1840 to 1841, "The Old Curiosity Shop" tells the tale of Nell Trent and her grandfather who both live in The Old Curiosity Shop in London. In an attempt to secure Nell's financial future, her grandfather dabbles with gambling but ends up losing it all. Convinced that Nell's grandfather has managed to save a small fortune for her, Nell's wastrel brother Frederick teams up with the insalubrious Quip to hunt the pair who have run away to the Midlands to live as beggars. Charles John Huffam Dickens (1812—1870) was an English writer and social critic famous for having created some of the world's most well-known fictional characters. His works became unprecedentedly popular during his life, and today he is commonly regarded as the greatest Victorian-era novelist. Although perhaps better known for such works as "Oliver Twist" or "A Christmas Carol", Dickens first gained success with the 1836 serial publication of "The Pickwick Papers", which turned him almost overnight into an international literary celebrity thanks to his humour, satire, and astute observations concerning society and character. This classic work is being republished now in a new edition complete with an introductory chapter from "Appreciations and Criticisms of the Works of Charles Dickens" by G. K. Chesterton.