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| The Pickwick Papers (Ultimate Classics) | 
| Author: Charles Dickens
Creator: Paul Scofield
Publisher: New Millennium Audio
Category: Book
Buy New: $75.49
New (2) from $75.49
Avg. Customer Rating:  43 reviews
Sales Rank: 2667903
Format: Abridged
Media: Audio Cassette
Edition: Abridged
Number Of Items: 2
Shipping Weight (lbs): 0.2
Dimensions (in): 7.4 x 4.2 x 0.7
ISBN: 193105665X
Dewey Decimal Number: 823.8
EAN: 9781931056656
ASIN: 193105665X
Publication Date: July 2001
Availability: Usually ships in 1-2 business days
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| Customer Reviews:
 A true joy to read! I did not want it to end! March 15, 2007
2 out of 3 found this review helpful
Charles Dickens is by far among my most favorite writers. The Pickwick Papers was such wonderful light humor and a rollicking adventure, that I never wanted to put it down. Every page, every chapter, brought these wonderful characters into a whole new unique set of adventures! I highly recommend anyone who enjoys Dickens to not miss this one, as although it is an early work, it shows the wonderful humorous side of the author that you will not quite see in some of his later works. These characters became like good friends by the time I was done with the book. A true joy to read.
Travel the cities and towns of England with Mr. Pickwick and the Pickwikians in this hilarious comic masterpiece by young Dicken February 5, 2007
2 out of 2 found this review helpful
A series of sporting prints was about to be published. The artist Robert Seymour had been hired. Now it was needed that an author be hired to add his prose to the series of prints. Charles Dickens became that author and literature has never been the same! The artist Seymour committed suicide; the 20 monthly numbers by Dickens shot him to instant popularity and a career as Victorian England's most successful novelist!
Dickens grew up reading "Tom Jones" by Henry Fielding and other picaresque novels especially "Don Quixote" by Cervantes. Their influence on him was profound as evinced in Pickwick's many pages.
The story tells of the fat, rubicund and funny old gentleman Mr. Pickwick who sets out to explore England. He takes with him three younger men Snodgrass, Tubman and Winkle. Along the way Pickwick hires young Samuel Weller to be his factotum. Weller steals the book with his cockney wit and wisdom. His father Tony also appears commenting on everything from women to jurisprudence. These characters are among the funniest ever created by Dickens.
This book is very early Dickens lacking the seriousness, plot development and social realism of later works such as "Bleak House";
"Little Dorritt" " Hard Times" and "Our Mutual Friend". It is instead filled with memorable characters getting themselves involved in one complicated incident after another! Mrs.Bardell the amorous landlady who sues Pickwich for Breach of Promise. Mr. Pickwich's attempts at ice skating; the Wardle Christmas Ball; the variious short stories told by characters interspersed in the text; the wild rides in stagecoaches across the landscape described with insight by the young genius; the trip to Newgate Prison where Pickwick is briefly incarcerated; the greedy lawyers; the hypocrites; the scoundrels and scamps of living. All are there in the Dickens universe.
The Pickwick Papers was Dickens most popular novel. It has never been surpassed in the English language for its light and lively look at British Life in the 1820s. If you have time to spend with a good book liking to laugh and be entertained pick up a copy of this classic novel!
 Good September 28, 2006
2 out of 6 found this review helpful
It is good for being Dickens first work. Although the characters are not as well developed as other works it does fit the book. It suits because it is not as serious of a work as other books. This, to me, shows where Dickens was in his own life. He was young and jovial where as when he gets older he gets darker because his view on life does. The only thing I have never really liked about Charles Dickens is that all of his books seem to be slow but if they were any different they wouldn't be written by Dickens would they.
brilliant August 20, 2006
2 out of 7 found this review helpful
an early work by dickens that gave obvious signs of the genius to come
 Charles Dickens's 1st Smash! July 24, 2006
6 out of 7 found this review helpful
It is interesting that both William Shakespeare and Charles Dickens began their writing careers with a comedy. Charles Dickens is best known for his harsh portrayals of Victorian England (especially in "A Christmas Carol"). But this 1st book shows that he can draw hilarious comedy as well. We meet the Pickwick Club. (Mr. Pickwick, Mr. Snodgrass, Mr. Tupman, and Mr. Winkle.) They are a bumbling group, but they are benevolent. Undoubtedly, Mr. Pickwick was based on Charles Dickens's father. The great Charles Dickens's father was a warm hearted and caring man, but he was also unlucky. He did in fact spend time in the debtors's prison. Well, moving on, the Pickwick club meets the comical villain Mr. Jingle. Mr. Jingle gets the Pickwick club into various sorts of trouble. He stops a would be wedding between Mr. Tupman and Rachael Wardle. (Jingle himself wants Rachael's fortune.) Well, Jingle shows himself to be good at double talk and alienates the 2. While his plot fails, he tricks Pickwick into appearing in a girls' school after hours. You'll probably notice that this book (like "Moby Dick") is full of digressions. We hear unrelated tales from different characters. (To some, this is a welcome technique while others find it annoying. Though the tale of Gabriel Grub does foreshadow the phenomenal "Christmas Carol.") Moving on, in a well worded passage Mr. Pickwick leads his landlady Widow Bardell into thinking he wants to marry her, when in fact he was just considering hiring a man servant. And of course Mr. Pickwick goes on trial for not keeping a promise of marriage. (Charles Dickens himself actually did many live readings of this chapter.) While we know Mr. Pickwick is not guilty, he ends up being charged 750 pounds which he refuses to pay. And of course, he (like Charles Dickens's father goes to prison). While he can afford the money, he refuses to pay because he is innocent. The scenes of the prison break the comedy. Even Widow Bardell is thrown in prison by Dodson and Fogg. But all is not lost. Pickwick's servant Weller comes to his aid. And Mr. Pickwick realizes that he must leave prison to help Mr. Winkle. (Mr. Winkle has married Arabella, and her brother is not so happy about it.) Mr. Pickwick pays what he must to exit the prison and he of course comes to the aid of his friend Mr. Winkle. The story ends in utter happiness. Mr. Pickwick even forgives Mr. Jingle. Perhaps the greatest thing about this book is that it is NOT ONLY hilarious comedy, but it shows how true friends stick by one another, and it even takes it to the next level by showing the wonders of fogiveness. This book drove England Pickwick mad when it came out. (There were Pickwick coats, hats, cigars, candy, and canes.) Need we ask why?
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