"The Pickwick Papers" was Dickens' first novel and was a huge success when it was first published. It tells the tale of the irrepressible Mr Pickwick and his fellow Pickwick Club members who travel around the English countryside getting into all kinds of scrapes and adventures. Funny, warm-hearted and full of memorable and engaging characters, this is an enchanting novel that continues to delight readers today. "Dickens was one of the greatest writers of English...unforgettable characters. I was lying in hospital one time and I thought I'd never laugh again but this book changed that" -- Simon Callow "My father, who left school at 15, was a Dickens enthusiast, and encouraged me to read his books when I was a boy. My favourite was The Pickwick Papers and every Christmas Eve, for several years, I used to reread the chapters about Christmas at Dingley Dell as a ritualistic preparation for the eagerly awaited holiday" -- David Lodge Guardian "Dickens writes as though he were talking to us after dinner, in turns funny, bitter, eloquent, and sad" -- John Mortimer Daily Mail "If I must choose only one Dickens then it's his first novel. It's wonderfully funny, kind and good-natured - just like dear Mr Pickwick himself" -- Edwina Currie "I was instantly swept up in Dickens' exploding world of eccentrics and grotesques, at the heart of which a hige affection for mankind" -- Simon Callow Good Housekeeping