Charles Dickens wrote The Pickwick Papers in his early 20s, but the writing is first rate and as witty as any seasoned author could have done in his place! Like many of Dickens's works, Pickwick was published in monthly installments, or "numbers" as they were called then. Although Dickens originally intended to end the story at the twentieth number, the popularity of the series (and the resultant income) convinced Dickens to double the length to forty numbers. The end result is a large offering that'll take you a while to get through (~750 pages in the excellent Penguin edition, which I read).

Despite its length, Pickwick never tries your patience. It's delightfully humorous from beginning to end. Samuel Pickwick is the bumbling, middle-aged, wealthy namesake of this novel. He's the leader of a small group of single men that gets into all sorts of mischief, both physical and social. Booze is rampant. Apparently liquor back then was much more a part of daily life than today; everywhere these guys go they party and get drunk. They get into trouble with the law, women, unsavory characters, and more.

Characterization is superb. This is one of the few novels I've read for which I can actually say that I got to know the characters. In most books I've read, the characters remain two-dimensional and the plot is what carries the story. In Pickwick, the *characters* are the essence of the story and the novel wouldn't be memorable at all if a lesser author were attempting to breathe life into these people.

The Penguin edition includes a decent collection of endnotes to help explain unfamiliar portions of the text. Nevertheless, there were still quite a few words and concepts peculiar to early 19th century England that I didn't grasp. This edition also has maps of southern England and a key to the specific locations that the Pickwickians visit. In addition, two appendices reprint some of the announcements and prefaces that Dickens wrote in relation to the work.

Highly recommended, particularly if you enjoy classic literature! Dickens's later works overshadow this gem due to their maturity, but Pickwick beats them all in enthusiasm, humor, and wit.

Readers new to Dickens should be aware that 'The Pickwick Papers' is, in some ways, not a particularly 'Dickensian' book. This is not necessarily a bad thing, but I should like to dispose of some of the most obvious objections - forewarned is, after all, forearmed.

Firstly, for the purposes of the casual reader, the prose style still reeks of the nineteenth century parliamentary and court reporter that he was before this, his first long work of fiction, was published. This can variously be viewed as enjoyably quaint, frustratingly gratuitous or simply incomprehensible. Half a page should suffice for the potential buyer to discover which way they will take it. Secondly, this is a book where nothing very much actually happens and that which does happen is generally ridiculous and inconsequential. I strongly suspect Dickens had some of the picaresque novels of his own literary heroes firmly in mind as he bent to each serial instalment, a cheap and nasty publishing method which negatively effected the quality and integrity of all but a handful of his works.

Now to the good stuff. The lack of a plot is, as anyone familiar with Dickens will probably agree, a bit of a blessing in disguise. We do not have to struggle to remember characters who triumphantly unmask themselves after first appearing in disguise in some trivial incident buried unmemorably between bouts of low comedy. We are not required to strain our credulity at shocking co-incidences (much) or bizzare wills or motives. We are left free to enjoy the brilliant, fecund riot of spontaneous creation that is what makes Dickens an enduring miracle of English prose. Characters of such vivid and memorable form that, more than a hundred years on, the cigarette cards they were pictured on are still readily recognisable to anyone who has met them in print. And Dickens' England, a sort of neo-mediaeval, pre-industrial idyll, is one of my favourite places to go. Incidentally, this work was reportedly Tolstoy's favourite bedside book, so we travel in good company.

Dickensian moral and social outrage is in full force here as well, as he rails against false charity, debtors prisons and charlatans of every stamp, rounding it all off with a dose of genuine compassion and forgiveness for the repenting sinner. At times sickeningly sentimental, but never dull, this book is a delight. Do yourself a favour and take an uncomplicated, cheerful walk through the English countryside and spend some time with its broad-waisted, narrow-minded, but ultimately big hearted denizens. Also, look out for what is arguably Dickens' finest creation - the irrepressible cockney everyman, Sam Weller.

It is, however, important to keep in mind when this book was written. Political correctness should be left at the title page - I have never read a feminist review of Dickens that showed the slightest ability to see past the patriarchal reality in which he lived. If one wishes to understand him, I think it is best to accept the political world that he lived in as uncritically as he did himself.

I grabbed this edition (green cover, copy of the original print edition) because it was free, but I am fortunate to have a very, very old print edition (predates ISBNs, described as the Dickens' best edition) . . . so old that the pages are extremely fragile. This has given me the best of both worlds, as I can read the text on my Kindle but compare the illustrations with the print edition. Print does justice to the engravings, while the digital format just can't compare. Background details are often lost, and the captions are omitted.

The illustrations are of paramount importance, since the original plan was to hire Dickens to write sketches to accompany the illustrations, based on the success of his "Sketches by Boz." It was a fortunate choice for posterity, if not for the original illustrator, but the illustrations do matter.

While most of the illustrations appear in both my print edition and the digital edition, each has some illustrations that are unique to it. Aside from the quality of the reproduction in digital format, the Kindle edition often tucks the illustrations far from the chapter it was intended to illustrate (most appear in later chapters, but occasionally one will appear before the scene it describes).

The digital edition also omits the preface Charles Dickens wrote for the first post-serial publication. It's worth reading, although Wikipedia gives a fuller account of the dispute over the illustrations versus the text.

I really love Dickens ' writing Enjoying this book very much!

This was Charles Dickens' first book. It has some funny moments and some tense moments. It was a bit on the long side for me. No wonder they used to only publish 3 or 4 chapters at a time in newspapers back then! I was very fond of the lovely friendship they all had. We should all have friends like that in our lives. Would recommend if you don't mind books that are a little on the long side.

Can't go wrong with Dickens; I like to re-read his works every decade or so. They never get old. I love the masterful use of language, the humor, and his sympathetic characters. (I know that's an Oxford comma. I like them.) The chapters a vignettes in the adventures of The Pickwick Club members, and this book, written serialized, is an ideal companion book to others being read contemporaneously. I usually have two books going at once; a serious non-fiction work, and another I can use for an enjoyable break, and before sleep. Dickens is most wonderful in this context as the second "recreational" book. Don't be intimidated by the archaic, weighty language when first starting to read Dickens! Within a chapter or two, it becomes very comfortable, and makes one pine for the days when language was more important and expressive, the days before texting, TV, Twitter, Rap music, and other such modern icons. Don't get me wrong...I'm not a Luddite. I have all the latest technology, and love the immediacy of modern tools. Twitter, especially, forces pithy expression. That's a good thing. But we can't deny that they have helped to kill our love of ornate and ample language. Dickens reignites that for me.

This is one of the earliest- and in my opinion,one of the best- books of Charles Dickens.The format, which is a collection of diverse, and diverting tales wound loosely around a central theme, resembles an Eastern manner,like the Arabain Nights or the Panchatantra.

The central theme, in which four English gentlemen decide to tour their country to record their divers experiences to be reported to their club,

allows the comic genius of an accomplished story-teller to thrive.The memorable characters that evolve as the book progresses : Sam Weller,Sam's father, Alfred Jingle and last but not the least Mr. Pickwick himself remain inscribed on the reader's memory long after the book is finished.The hilarity of the situations, told in solemn language, are remarkable, as are the incredibly pathetic circumstances scattered through the book like seasoning.The overwhelming impulse,on finishing this book, is one of regret that the journey has been brought to an end, and of a profound respect to a master story-teller.

Not the best Dickens. It reads as it was written, a series of very loosely connected episodes, sort of like Don Quixote for Englishmen, but not as good.

Loved this book for years! My favourite Dickens novel. Chockful of funny stories, warm affection and a glimpse of all walks of life of those times.

The latest Penguin Classics, with the white lettering instead of the orange, are much worse in quality. Luckily this Dickens classic isn't reprinted yet

Compré este libro porque su contenido. Describe escenas costumbristas. A pesar de su mediocridad Dickens escribía relatos para la prensa. Conectores, adverbios, giros lingüísticos empleados en cada concreto contexto.

Valoro positivamente la edición. Es un libro subrayable: tamaño folio, 383 páginas sin índice, prólogo ni ilustraciones, papel grueso no satinado. Es un libro para aprender inglés.

Good

Having resolved to read all of Dickens' novels in chronological order I somewhat regretted my life choices when I realised how long 'The Pickwick Papers' is, but I need not have worried as the many chapters filled with humour and warm-hearted stories carry you along like an old friend.

There is so much to enjoy here. The characters, particularly the Wellers and Pickwick himself, are wonderful and their shenanigans are both ridiculous and endearing. And Dickens' use of language is, as ever, an absolute delight. I was pleased to find that the book also contains much of the social commentary for which he is so famous, even if in gentle form.

I will miss Mr Pickwick and his friends' adventures. I am so glad that they allowed me to sit with them for a while.