Dombey and Son

A wealthy shipping merchant has a son and heir, and the firm of Dombey and Son seems secure. But pride and coldness can hollow out even the most prosperous house. Charles Dickens's novel follows the Dombey family through birth, death, marriage, and ruin, and through the bustling, foggy world of Victorian London.

Dombey and Son is a family saga and a social panorama, mixing satire, sentiment, and melodrama. It is one of Dickens's most emotionally powerful books, and one of his most carefully constructed. Readers who love Victorian fiction, rich characterization, and stories about the cost of pride will find much to admire here.

This edition contains the complete text of the novel, followed by Dickens's prefaces of 1848 and 1867. It also includes a new introduction, a character guide, a summary of the story, a discussion of themes, a glossary of period words, and questions for reading groups.