The Dickens Index

By Nina Burgis

Book Overview

From the orphaned Oliver Twist to the parasitic Sir Mulberry Hawk, Charles Dickens' delightfully varied cast of characters has entertained readers for over a century. A handy reference to the works of this prolific author, The Dickens Index contains over five thousand entries alphabetically arranged and referenced by chapter, covering a wide variety of subjects, from fictional characters and allusions to myth, folklore and legend, to topical and historical references. The most comprehensive, single-volume reference work on Dickens ever produced, it is a perfect companion to his novels, providing quick access to an enormous range of information on plots, characters, short fiction, journalism, readings, letters, and more.

• Format: Paperback
• Language: English
• ISBN: 0192827812
• ISBN13: 9780192827814
• Release Date: November 1990
• Publisher: Oxford University Press
• Length: 320 Pages
• Weight: 1.30 lbs.
• Dimensions: 9.1" x 0.9" x 6.1"

Customer Reviews

Useful, instruction, and thorough

Nicolas Bentley, the book's esteemed editor, had an unusual career. He drew pictures for books like TS Eliot's famous "Old Possum's Book of Practical Cats" and was known as a humorist. In "The Dickens Index," not one of his illustrations are shown. It is, instead, demonstrating his great breadth as a renaissance man. You won't buy the book because of Bentley's skill as an artist or sense of humor. It is a research tool. If you'd like to understand Charles Dickens' novels or his shorter fiction, this is it. If you want to understand the people and researchers surrounding Dickens as he lived, then this is it. If you are curious about the unusual words, now obselete but used by Dickens, you'll find it here. All of the characters in Dicken's writing. or alluded to by him are in here too. Each entry is no more than 200 words. Look up 'ensign', 'eggs-hot' and "evil... dies with the doer of it," and learn what an ensign does, what eggs-hot tastes like and where you might read a quote from William Shakespeare. Where? It is in "Our Mutual Friend," thre last novel Dickens finished. It reads easily, but there are some abbreviations to referenced to in an abbreviation found in front. Useful, instruction, and thorough, "The Dickens Index" as edited by Nicolas Bentley" should land in the library of any sdtudent of Dickens. I fully recommend "The Dickens Index." Anthony Trendl editor, HungarianBookstore.com