David Copperfield ) hardback

This is classic Charles Dickens and his David Copperfield – a well-rounded insight into the childhood and adulthood of the famous character of Dickens. It’s written in the first person, a new technique for Dickens. The author used many early personal experiences that had meant a lot to him – his own period of work in a factory while his father was jailed, his schooling and reading, his passion for Maria Beadnell, and his path into successful novel writing. A wonderful story.

This is the novel Dickens regarded as his "favourite child" and is considered his most autobiographical. As David recounts his experiences from childhood to the discovery of his vocation as a successful novelist, Dickens draws openly and revealingly on his own life. Among the gloriously vivid cast of characters are Rosa Dartle, Dora, Steerforth, and the 'umble Uriah Heep, along with Mr. Micawber, a portrait of Dickens's own father that evokes a mixture of love, nostalgia, and guilt.