Nicholas Nickleby

When we imagine Victorian England, we see it through Dickens’ eyes, with creeping fog, cobbled streets, and one-eyed villains. But among the rich array of caricatures, is the passionate revelation of evil and the needs of the poor. The young author wrote tirelessly, with the “manic-depressive make-up of the freelance writer”. (Arthur Calder-Marshall, Pan Classics, 1968).