Oliver Twist; Or, the Parish Boy’s Progress (Illustrated Edition‪)‬

Charles Dickens needs no formal introduction, having been the most popular English writer of the 19th century and still one of the most popular writers in history today. Dickens’ upbringing was a mixture of happy times and sad: when he recalled his father being sent to debtor’s prison in his memoirs, his tears actually left marks on the page. 

Nevertheless, Dickens was obsessed with reading, making him a natural journalist by the age of 20, when he began a career in journalism. Along the way, he also began writing his own short stories and materials, often serializing them in monthly installments in publications, a popular method of publishing in the 19th century. Unlike most writers, Dickens would not write an entire story before it began its serialization, allowing him to work on the fly and leave plot lines up in the air with each opportunity. 

Many of Dickens’ novels were written with the concept of social reform in mind, and Dickens’ work was often praised for its realism, comic genius and unique personalities. At the same time, however, Dickens’ ability as a writer was nearly unrivaled, with his ability to write in prose unquestioned and unmatched. 

One of his most famous novels is Oliver Twist, a fairly cold portrayal of criminals and the cruelty suffered by orphan children in London. This novel, which also alludes to John Bunyan’s Pilgrim’s Progress, touched off international concern over the fate of these young orphan children. 

This edition of Oliver Twist is specially formatted with illustrations and a Table of Contents for easier navigation.