On the period of transition from 18th century decadence to 19th century publishers in England. Annotation copyrighted by Book News, Inc., Portland, OR

The Dickens Companions provide the most comprehensive annotation of the works of Charles Dickens ever undertaken. The factual annotation supplies information on the historical, literary and topical allusions which inform Dickens’s works, thus establishing sound foundations for further critical enquiry. For the scholar, they are invaluable research and reference tools. For the student and serious general reader, they are the essential authority on Dickens’s novels.