The novel has everything: an absorbing melodrama, with a supporting cast of heroes, villains and eccentrics, set in a London where vast wealth and desperate poverty live cheek-by-jowl’ Jasper Rees, The Times

When Nicholas Nickleby finds himself penniless after his father’s death, he turns to his wealthy uncle for assistance in securing work and safeguarding his mother and sister. However, Ralph Nickleby proves to be both hard-hearted and unscrupulous, forcing Nicholas to forge his own path in the world. This journey allows Dickens to introduce an extraordinary gallery of characters, including Wackford Squeers, the tyrannical headmaster of Dotheboys Hall; the slow-witted orphan Smike, whom Nicholas rescues; the pretentious Mantalinis; and the flamboyant Mr. and Mrs. Crummels along with their ‘infant phenomenon’ daughter.

Like many of Dickens’s works, Nicholas Nickleby is marked by a fierce outrage against cruelty and social injustice. Yet, it is also a vibrant and exuberant narrative, whose meandering structure recalls the picaresque novels of Tobias Smollett and Henry Fielding. In his introduction, Mark Ford draws parallels between Nicholas Nickleby and eighteenth-century picaresque literature, delving into Dickens’s critiques of the ‘Yorkshire schools,’ his social satire, and his distinctive use of language. This edition is further enriched by the original illustrations by ‘Phiz,’ Dickens’s original preface, a chronology, and a list of recommended readings.

For over seventy years, Penguin has been the leading publisher of classic literature in the English-speaking world. With a collection of more than 1,700 titles, Penguin Classics offers a global bookshelf featuring the finest works throughout history, spanning various genres and disciplines. Readers rely on the series for authoritative texts, complemented by introductions and notes from distinguished scholars and contemporary authors, along with modern translations by award-winning translators.