I’m very excited for this! I’m fortunate to own the original published in 1840 in three volumes with illustrations by George Cattermole and Hablot Browne. Volumes II and III were published in 1841. Fun fact, the cover identifies the appropriate volume with a clock set to the appropriate time.
The original also includes Barnaby Rudge just prior to the final Master Humphrey From His Clock-Side in the Chimney Corner. Wish we were starting today! I’ll upgrade to a paid subscription.
That's fantastic Steve! You have the only edition ever published of the 'lost book' Dickens was talking about! (I had to consult the British Library's copy of the 1840-41 edition to clarify the contents of the early issues.) That's really the best way to be reading along . . . Great work!
This is exciting news! I’m Bill Baker of Jackson, MS USA. I’ve been a fan of Dickens for decades and own a lot of his books including The Old Curiosity Shop. However, I’ve never read it so the timing couldn’t be better for me as I am committed to resume reading the Classics this year - currently reading ‘Oliver Twist’, ‘War and Peace’, and ‘Moby Dick’. Looking forward to doing this.
I’m looking forward to this. I studied The Old Curiosity Shop for O Level in 1976. I had a gift of a question in the exam. Something along the lines of ‘How would you go about filming the story of this book? I had recently seen the film with Anthony Newley as Quilp. It was a musical. I held forth on how it should not be done ……and got an A grade!
Hi Bill – great to have you on board! This one is a little confusing. We’re reading the original weekly instalments of Master Humphrey’s Clock, the miscellaneous periodical written by Dickens. The novel The Old Curiosity Shop began life as a short story in that miscellany but, as its popularity grew, it gradually took over the weekly issues until there was nothing else being published in Master Humphrey’s Clock. If you’d like to catch up - and you just want to read The Old Curiosity Shop - then read the first two chapters before Friday 23 May and we’ll pick up then. If you’d like to read the ‘other’ Master Humphrey’s Clock sections, you can find them online here: https://www.gutenberg.org/cache/epub/588/pg588-images.html There’s more detail in the weekly posts so far! https://henryeliot.substack.com/s/the-old-curiosity-shop Henry
I’m very excited for this! I’m fortunate to own the original published in 1840 in three volumes with illustrations by George Cattermole and Hablot Browne. Volumes II and III were published in 1841. Fun fact, the cover identifies the appropriate volume with a clock set to the appropriate time.
The original also includes Barnaby Rudge just prior to the final Master Humphrey From His Clock-Side in the Chimney Corner. Wish we were starting today! I’ll upgrade to a paid subscription.
That's fantastic Steve! You have the only edition ever published of the 'lost book' Dickens was talking about! (I had to consult the British Library's copy of the 1840-41 edition to clarify the contents of the early issues.) That's really the best way to be reading along . . . Great work!
This is exciting news! I’m Bill Baker of Jackson, MS USA. I’ve been a fan of Dickens for decades and own a lot of his books including The Old Curiosity Shop. However, I’ve never read it so the timing couldn’t be better for me as I am committed to resume reading the Classics this year - currently reading ‘Oliver Twist’, ‘War and Peace’, and ‘Moby Dick’. Looking forward to doing this.
Fantastic! Great to have you on board Bill. The Old Curiosity Shop is a great one - very strange!
I got my Penguin edition and am ready to go. I have read quite a few Dicken's novels, but not this one. Thank you for doing this.
I’m so glad! I’m really looking forward to it . . .
I’m looking forward to this. I studied The Old Curiosity Shop for O Level in 1976. I had a gift of a question in the exam. Something along the lines of ‘How would you go about filming the story of this book? I had recently seen the film with Anthony Newley as Quilp. It was a musical. I held forth on how it should not be done ……and got an A grade!
Amazing! I haven’t seen that film – I’ll avoid!
I just got my copy in the mail today. Looking forward to starting the read next month!
So looking forward to this.
Great news! Thanks Emma - me too!
Hi Bill – great to have you on board! This one is a little confusing. We’re reading the original weekly instalments of Master Humphrey’s Clock, the miscellaneous periodical written by Dickens. The novel The Old Curiosity Shop began life as a short story in that miscellany but, as its popularity grew, it gradually took over the weekly issues until there was nothing else being published in Master Humphrey’s Clock. If you’d like to catch up - and you just want to read The Old Curiosity Shop - then read the first two chapters before Friday 23 May and we’ll pick up then. If you’d like to read the ‘other’ Master Humphrey’s Clock sections, you can find them online here: https://www.gutenberg.org/cache/epub/588/pg588-images.html There’s more detail in the weekly posts so far! https://henryeliot.substack.com/s/the-old-curiosity-shop Henry