Fifteen Eighty Four

Happy birthday, Charles Dickens! The beloved novelist, social commentator, and travel writer (among his many hats) would have turned 200 today, and his fans are celebrating all year long with events around the world!

Many of Charles Dickens’ works were originally published in serial form, appearing in weekly or monthly installments in popular London periodicals; the novelizations of these works wouldn’t appear until several months later. To celebrate the bicentennial of Dickens’ birth, Cambridge University Press is offering electronic downloads of The Cambridge Introduction to Charles Dickens in serial form, with a new chapter every week.

Starting in February, the month of Dickens’ birth, check this space each week to download the latest chapter from the book, all for free! You can read the way Dickens’ readers did – if they had invented eReaders.

Get this week’s free chapter here!

Feb. 7-13: Chapter 1
Feb. 14-20: Chapter 2
Feb. 21-27: Chapter 3
Feb. 28 – Mar. 5: Chapter 4