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Charles Dickens Best Books

charles dickens famous books

Want to know about Charles Dickens famous books? Well you have landed on the right article.
Charles John Huffam Dickens, in short, Charles Dickens was a renowned English writer and social critic.

Regarded as the greatest novelist of the Victorian era, he has written many short stories, novels, comics, and novellas which have given unprecedented popularity to him.

His formal education begins at the age of nine and later he attended Clover Lane Academy. In early 1827, he worked as a law clerk for two years in London

His fascination with theatre made him quit his law job and start writing stories and plays. His writing style includes puns, satire, and wordplay that can be enjoyed by any age group.

So, here we come up with some of the Charles dickens best books that you must go through.

Our Top Picks

Charles Dickens Famous Books (2022)

1. Bleak House

The story begins in the court of Chancery where the main characters of the book are trying to resolve a civil court case Jarndyce, related to inheritance.

The rest of the story is about the life experiences of lady character Esther Summerson and other people in the town.

The book was considered the best dickens books by two literacy critics – George Gussing & G.K. Chesterton.

Details :-

  • Copies sold worldwide : N/A
  • Genre : Novel
  • Year of Publication : 1853
  • Awards : Peabody Award 2006
  • Price : INR 309.54
  • Goodreads and Audible ratings : 4.01/5, 4.7/5

Video Review

2. Oliver Twist

It is a story of an orphan named Oliver Twist who goes through a series of events to find security and happiness.

In a quest to find home and comfort, the young boy encounters bad people and finds solace in a small village in England.

The story is full of twists and turns. The novel was published in series between 1837 and 1838.

Details :-

  • Copies sold worldwide : 600 million
  • Genre : Novel
  • Year of Publication : 1838
  • Awards : Movie got International Award for Best Production Design
  • Price : INR 543 - INR 698
  • Goodreads and Audible ratings : 3.9/5, 4.7/5

Video Review

3. Great Expectations

Great Expectations is the thirteenth dickens novel based on the story of an orphan named Pip.

It was published from 1860 to 1861 in Dicken’s weekly periodical All The Year Round.

This is a journey of Pip who is chasing wealth as his great expectation but later realizes that loyalty and compassion hold more value in one’s life.

Details :-

  • Copies sold worldwide : All The Year Round sold 100,000 copies each week
  • Genre : Novel
  • Year of Publication : 1861
  • Awards : N/A
  • Price : INR 387.12
  • Goodreads and Audible ratings : 3.79/5, 4/5

Video Review

4. Hard Times

Hard Times is a story of a wealthy family in the industrial city of Coketown, England.

The family's core values lie in logic, facts, statistics, and self-interest. The novel has also pointed out the then existing educational system, economic system, and caste system.

In the end, the family understands the value of compassion and love over selfishness, facts, and logic.

Details :-

  • Copies sold worldwide : N/A
  • Genre : Novel
  • Year of Publication : 1854
  • Awards : NA
  • Price : INR 309.54
  • Goodreads and Audible ratings : 3.5/5, 5/5

Video Review

5. A Tale Of Two Cities

The Tale of Two Cities is a story revolving around two cities – Paris and London.

The theme of the story is duality, resurrection, and resolution during the years of French revolution.

The novel was published in 1859 and set against the dictatorial regime. The hero of the story is Charles Darnay who is accused of treason against England. 

As the story unfolds, we can see conflicting aspects of the French Revolution in form of a fight between Charles Darnay and Madame Defarge.

Details :-

  • Copies sold worldwide : Over 200 million
  • Genre : Historical novel
  • Year of Publication : 1859
  • Awards : Best-selling novel of all time and was ranked 63rd on Big Read Poll by BBC.
  • Price : Rs 931
  • Goodreads and Audible ratings : 3.86/5, 4. 4/5

Video Review

6. Our Mutual Friend

The novel was published in series from 1864 to 1865. It is centered on a man named John Harmon who was supposed to inherit a large fortune from his father but is believed to get killed.

Later he returned and marry his intended wife Miss Bella Wilfer. The story ended on a happy note as John regained his lost wealth through his hard work.

Our Mutual Friend is one of the Charles dickens famous novel.

Details :-

  • Copies sold worldwide : 35000 in the first month of publication
  • Genre : Novel
  • Year of Publication : 1865
  • Awards : N/A
  • Price : INR 244.38
  • Goodreads and Audible ratings : 4.1/5, 5/5
  • Special mentions : Included in the list of 100 most influential novels by BBC Arts.

Video Review

7. David Copperfield

David Copperfield is a story of a man describing his journey from childhood till he grows old.

He loses his father at a young age and gets abused by his stepfather. He was forced to work after the death of his mother.

Then, he escaped his stepfather to meet his aunt Betsey. The adversities of life made him strong, mature, and kind.

The story ended on a happy note with his blissful second marriage.

Details :-

  • Copies sold worldwide : N/A
  • Genre : Novel
  • Year of Publication : 1850
  • Awards : The movie got the British Independent Film Award in 2019
  • Price : Rs 252 (AMAZON)
  • Goodreads and Audible ratings : 4/5, 4.6/5
  • Special mentions : N/A

Video Review

8. The Pickwick Papers

The Pickwick Papers was published in a series of stories from 1836 to 1837. The story is based on the Pickwick Club, which is a group of travelers from England.

The story tells about the adventures of four “Pickwickians” who decided to make a journey to different parts of London.

In travel, they go through a range of emotions such as the joy of the travel, youthfulness, innocence, and romance.

Details :-

  • Copies sold worldwide : 1.6 million
  • Genre : Novel
  • Year of Publication : 1837
  • Awards : Listen List 2013
  • Price : INR 309.54
  • Goodreads and Audible ratings : 3.8/5, 4.2/5
  • Special mentions : It was the first novel by Charles Dickens.

Video Review

9. A Christmas Carol

A Christmas Carol is a story of a selfish, mean-spirited old man, Ebenezer Scrooge, who hates Christmas and is unkind to the people around him.

He met three ghosts – Christmas Past, Christmas Present, and Christmas Future and the experience made him realize his mistakes.

In the end, he became a completely transformed man who is kind and thoughtful.

Details :-

  • Copies sold worldwide : Over 2 million
  • Genre : Novel
  • Year of Publication : 1843
  • Awards : Christopher Nightingale 2020
  • Price : INR 356
  • Goodreads and Audible ratings : 4.05/5, 4.7/5
  • Special mentions : The book was written in only two weeks.

Video Review

10. Little Dorrit

Little Dorrit is a story of a girl named Amy Dorrit who lives in Marshalsea prison where her father is imprisoned.

She works as a seamstress for a mean-spirited lady Mrs. Clennam, whose son Arthur falls in love with little Dorret.

The story ended with the happy marriage of Arthur and Amy after fighting poverty.

Details :-

  • Copies sold worldwide : N/A
  • Genre : Novel
  • Year of Publication : 1857
  • Awards : Series won the Primetime Emmy award.
  • Price : Rs 150 (amazon)
  • Goodreads and Audible ratings : 4/5, 4.7/5
  • Special mentions : N/A

Video Review

11. Nicholas Nickleby

This is a story of life adventures of a young man named Nicholas Nickleby, who suffers financially after death of his father.

The mean character of story learned about the value of love and friendship which should be offered to everyone irrespective of theri financial situation.

Details :-

  • Copies sold worldwide : N/A
  • Genre : Novel
  • Year of Publication : 1839
  • Awards : N/A
  • Price : Rs 450 (amazon)
  • Goodreads and Audible ratings : 3.9/5, 4/5

Video Review

12. The Old Curiosity Shop

This is a story of girl and her grandfather who owns a shop and flee to save themselves from villian.

The story tells about different people they came across with different intentions towards them.

Details :-

  • Copies sold worldwide : N/A
  • Genre : Novel
  • Year of Publication : 1840
  • Awards : N/A
  • Price : Rs 215 (flipkart)
  • Goodreads and Audible ratings : 3.8/5, 4/5

Video Review

13. Barnaby Rudge

The story is based on theme of oppression and patriarchy. A character Barnaby who is an intellectual disabled person, is sentenced to death mistakingly and how he is pardoned in the end.

Details :-

  • Copies sold worldwide : N/A
  • Genre : Novel
  • Year of Publication : 1841
  • Awards : N/A
  • Price : Rs 104 (flipkart)
  • Goodreads and Audible ratings : 3.81/5, 4.3/5

Video Review

14. The Chimes

This is a story of a elderly man who believes that he is worthless and only working class people are worthy of every positive thing.

The story ends with man believing that life is about doing nobler things instead of living with negativity.

Details :-

  • Copies sold worldwide : N/A
  • Genre : Novel
  • Year of Publication : 1844
  • Awards : Movie won Cine Special Jury award  2002
  • Price : Rs 587
  • Goodreads and Audible ratings : 3.2/5, 3.5/5

Video Review

15. Martin Chuzzlewit

This is a story of life adventures of person named Martin Chuzzlewit who has a greedy and wealthy grandfather.

The cruel fears only about his inheritance above others. The story ends with his realizing value of love and happiness.

Details :-

  • Copies sold worldwide : N/A
  • Genre : Novel
  • Year of Publication : 1844
  • Awards : N/A
  • Price : Rs 223
  • Goodreads and Audible ratings : 3.8/5, 4.3/5

Video Review

Conclusion

Other honorable works of Charles Dickens include  Dombey and Son, Minor Works, Pictures from Italy, and Uncommercial Traveller.

His imagination power and ability to attract a vast audience with his incredible wit have made him not only a great novelist but also a great entertainer in the history of fiction.

I hope you liked our article on Charles dickens famous books, if you have any comments or suggestions do share them in the comments below.

Frequently Asked Questions

1. What are the three famous novels that Charles Dickens wrote?

The three famous books of Charles Dicken are:

Great Expectations – It is the thirteenth novel of Charles Dickens published serially from 18 1860 to 1861 by Chapman & Hall.

A Christmas Carol – It was published on December 19, 1843, and is considered one of Dicken’s most popular books in the US.

Oliver Twist – It is the second novel by Charles Dickens published serially from 1837 to 1839 in Bentley’s Miscellany.

2. How many books did Charles Dickens write?

He has written 15 novels, out of which one is incomplete.

The Pickwick Papers

Oliver Twist

Nicholas Nickleby

The Old Curiosity Shop

Barnaby Rudge

Martin Chuzzlewit

Dombey and Son

David Copperfield

Bleak house

Hard Times

Little Dorrit

A Tale of Two Cities

Great Expectations

Our Mutual Friend

The Mystery of Edwin Drood

3. How many books did Charles Dickens write?

The first novel of Charles Dickens was The Pickwick Papers, published in 1836.

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About the Author

Currently working as an Editor in Chief with Ankuraggarwal.in, he is managing all the ins and outs of the content management process and editorial operations. Having an experience of 8 years in the publishing/ e-solution industry, he manages a small freelancing team of fellow editors and has worked with several domains including academics, healthcare, lifestyle and technical writings. He is a stickler for accuracy and loves to read noir-fiction and binge-watch anthologies.

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