Charles Dickens Primary Sources

Historical documents. What clues can you gather about Charles Dickens, the time, place, players, and culture?

Great Expectations

E-text of the novel.

A Tale of Two Cities

E-text of the novel.

Oliver Twist

E-text of the novel.

Little Dorrit

E-text of the novel.

A Christmas Carol

E-text of the novel.

David Copperfield

E-text of the novel.

Bleak House

E-text of the novel.

Dickens's Biography

A biographical sketch of the writer that appeared in 1860.

Great Expectations Review

An 1861 review of the novel in The Atlantic.

The Life of Charles Dickens

A biography of the author written by his friend John Forster.

Charles Dickens on Schools

Text of an 1857 talk Dickens gave on education.

Mr. Dickens' First Reading

An 1867 review of a reading Dickens gave in New York City.

The Death of Charles Dickens

Dickens's 1870 obituary in the New York Times.