The novels of Charles Dickens were first published in the following order. Click on a title to explore the novel in more depth.
The Posthumous Papers of the Pickwick Club.
Oliver Twist, The Parish Boy’s Progress.
- Oliver Twist, subtitled The Parish Boy’s Progress, is the second novel by Charles Dickens, first published as a monthly serial in Bentley’s Miscellany, from February 1837 to April 1839. The story revolves around the life of an orphan boy and his harsh early years.
The Life and Adventures of Nicholas Nickleby.
- Nicholas Nickleby; or, The Life and Adventures of Nicholas Nickleby was Charles Dickens’s third novel, published monthly between April 1838 and October 1839. Dickens largely wrote the work whilst living at his London residence in Doughty Street. The novel centres on the life and adventures of Nicholas Nickleby, a young man who must support his mother and sister after his father dies.
The Old Curiosity Shop.
- The Old Curiosity Shop was the fourth novel from Charles Dickens, and first appeared as a weekly serial published in Master Humphrey’s Clock, from April 1840 to February 1841. The story follows the life of Nell Trent and her grandfather, both residents of The Old Curiosity Shop in London.
Barnaby Rudge: A Tale of the Riots of ‘Eighty.
- Barnaby Rudge was the fifth novel from Charles Dickens, and first appeared as a weekly serial published in Master Humphrey’s Clock, from February 1841 to November 1841. It is the first of Dickens’s two historical novels (the other being A Tale of Two Cities). Barnaby Rudge is largely set around the time of the Gordon Riots of 1780.
The Christmas Novels.
- A Christmas Carol (1843).
- The Chimes (1844).
- The Cricket on the Hearth (1845).
- The Battle of Life (1846).
- The Haunted Man and the Ghost’s Bargain (1848).
The Life and Adventures of Martin Chuzzlewit.
- Martin Chuzzlewit, is the sixth novel by Charles Dickens originally published between January 1843 and July 1844. The main theme of the novel revolves around the Chuzzlewit family, using satire to depict the selfishness of a number of characters.
Dombey and Son.
- Dombey and Son was Charles Dickens’s seventh novel, published between October 1846 and April 1848. The story follows the fortunes of a shipping firm, whose owner is frustrated at not having a son to follow him in the job, and initially rejects his daughter’s love, eventually becoming reconciled with her before his death.
David Copperfield.
- David Copperfield was the eighth novel by Charles Dickens, first published between May 1849 and November 1850. The novel, written in the first person, revolves around the character after which the work is named. It follows his life until middle age, with his own adventures and the numerous friends and enemies he meets along his way.
Bleak House.
- Bleak House was the ninth novel by Charles Dickens, intended to illustrate the evils caused by long, drawn-out legal cases in the Court of Chancery. Serialised between 1852 – 1853, the story unravels through the use of double narration, in part from the perspective of a third-person narrator and in part from the first-person point of view of the main protagonist, Esther Summerson.
Hard Times: For These Times.
- Hard Times – For These Times (more commonly now known as Hard Times) is the tenth novel by Charles Dickens. It first appeared in weekly parts, published in Household Words, from April to August 1854. The shortest of Dickens’ novels, the story is set in the fictitious northern English industrial mill-town of Coketown.
Little Dorrit.
- Little Dorrit was the eleventh novel from Charles Dickens, serialised monthly between December 1855 and June 1857. A rags to riches story set in the 1820’s, Little Dorrit centres around the changing fortunes of the Dorrit family.
A Tale of Two Cities.
- A Tale of Two Cities was the second of Charles Dickens’s two historical novels (the other being Barnaby Rudge). It first appeared as a weekly serial published in All the Year Round from April to November 1859. The plot centres on the years leading up to the French Revolution and culminates in the Jacobean Reign of Terror.
Great Expectations.
- Great Expectations is Charles Dickens‘s thirteenth novel first published in All the Year Round, from December 1860 to August 1861. Set at the turn of the nineteenth century, the story depicts the personal growth and development of an orphan boy Philip Pirrip, nicknamed Pip.
Our Mutual Friend.
- Our Mutual Friend was Charles Dickens‘s fourteenth and last completed novel, published monthly between May 1864 and November 1865. It was written whilst Dickens was living at Gad’s Hill in Kent.
The Mystery of Edwin Drood.
Monthly serial, published between April 1870 and September 1870. Written whilst Dickens was living at Gad’s Hill. Only six of twelve planned numbers completed before the authors death.