Physical description

Nicholas Nickleby.
Author: Charles Dickens.
Publisher: Collins, London & Glasgow.
Date: 1940's. (See note section this document for more information on Edition).
Red cloth hardcover with title on spine in gold lettering and pattern, Front cover has stick on paper with title showing Collins logo. The spine has a Library label and no Volume information only title and author.

Publication type

fiction

Inscriptions & markings

Label on the spine with typed text PAT. FIC. DIC.
Paper stick on title to front cover, paste down front end paper has a sticker from Warrnambool Public Library.

Summary

Charles Dickens (1812–1870) was one of the great English novelists of the Victorian era, famous for vivid characters, social criticism, and stories that were first published in serial form. He began as a journalist, rose to enormous popularity during his lifetime, and wrote major works such as Oliver Twist, David Copperfield, and Great Expectations.
“Nicholas Nickleby” starts out as a good hearted but vulnerable young man whose family is left poor after his father’s death. His uncle, Ralph Nickleby, is cold and exploitative, and Nicholas is sent to work at Dothe boys Hall, a school run by the abusive Wackford Squeers family. There Nicholas witnesses appalling treatment of the children, escapes, and takes the mistreated boy Smike with him.
After that, the novel follows Nicholas through a series of adventures in London and beyond as he protects his sister Kate, resists his uncle’s schemes, and finds decent allies such as the Cheeryble brothers. The plot mixes melodrama, comedy, family loyalty, and moral struggle, ending with justice restored and the worthy characters rewarded.