The cover page is adapted from My Gems, a painting completed in 1888 by William Harnett. The cover and title pages feature the League Spartan and Sorts Mill Goudy typefaces created in 2014 and 2009 by The League of Moveable Type. en.wikipedia.org/wiki/William_Harnettwww.theleagueofmoveabletype.com/
The Old Curiosity Shop
Chapters (75)
- Dedication 0:00
- Preface 0:31
- I 2:18
- II 38:35
- III 55:13
- IV 1:14:18
- V 1:37:30
- VI 1:53:31
- VII 2:15:09
- VIII 2:31:46
- IX 2:57:00
- X 3:22:52
- XI 3:36:12
- XII 3:55:24
- XIII 4:13:00
- XIV 4:34:59
- XV 4:50:39
- XVI 5:13:46
- XVII 5:27:32
- XVIII 5:46:58
- XIX 6:05:06
- XX 6:29:38
- XXI 6:41:34
- XXII 7:04:44
- XXIII 7:17:57
- XXIV 7:40:42
- XXV 7:55:06
- XXVI 8:14:23
- XXVII 8:31:03
- XXVIII 8:53:16
- XXIX 9:09:07
- XXX 9:32:41
- XXXI 9:46:09
- XXXII 10:10:19
- XXXIII 10:23:56
- XXXIV 10:47:34
- XXXV 11:01:26
- XXXVI 11:26:29
- XXXVII 11:39:44
- XXXVIII 11:57:49
- XXXIX 12:20:42
- XL 12:36:49
- XLI 12:55:46
- XLII 13:13:04
- XLIII 13:35:59
- XLIV 13:51:51
- XLV 14:13:18
- XLVI 14:29:49
- XLVII 14:53:55
- XLVIII 15:08:08
- XLIX 15:29:46
- L 15:44:10
- LI 16:06:53
- LII 16:22:16
- LIII 16:46:13
- LIV 17:01:26
- LV 17:25:52
- LVI 17:39:31
- LVII 18:02:47
- LVIII 18:16:20
- LIX 18:38:56
- LX 18:53:57
- LXI 19:17:49
- LXII 19:32:24
- LXIII 19:54:43
- LXIV 20:10:21
- LXV 20:35:26
- LXVI 20:48:20
- LXVII 21:26:44
- LXVIII 21:48:51
- LXIX 22:06:05
- LXX 22:30:05
- LXXI 22:45:08
- LXXII 23:05:46
- LXXIII 23:24:58
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Nell and her grandfather eke out a life of near-poverty in a small curiosity shop in London. Despite their narrow circumstances, their lives are happy ones, in which each takes care of the other. But Nell’s grandfather is hiding a secret, one which threatens their very survival. When his secret is uncovered by the moneylender Daniel Quilp, their lives are turned upside-down, and they must make their way through unfamiliar places, among unfamiliar people.
Charles Dickens originally conceived of the characters of Little Nell and her grandfather for a tale of only a few chapters. But when his new weekly periodical failed to sell well due to its lack of ongoing storyline, he wound up extending those few chapters into a sprawling narrative that ultimately took ten months to complete. Despite the intense pressure of ongoing weekly deadlines, the final story became his second-most-popular novel during his lifetime.
Dickens is famous for his ability to sketch memorable characters, and The Old Curiosity Shop in particular is brimming with quirky figures across the social strata of Victorian England. Kit Nubbles, Richard Swiveller, Mrs. Jarley, Sally Brass, and of course the endlessly cruel Quilp all play their part in the story of Little Nell and her grandfather.