Charles Dickens 200th Anniversary Collection Vol. 1


Read by LibriVox Volunteers

(4.8 stars; 13 reviews)

The Charles Dickens 200th Anniversary Collection comprises short works previously unrecorded for LibriVox - fiction, essays, poetry, letters, magazine articles and speeches - and each volume will be a potpourri of all genres and periods of his writing. This first volume was released on Dickens' 200th birthday, February 7th 2012 and further volumes followed during the anniversary year.

Volume 1 includes short stories including, amongst others, The Holly Tree, the first part of Holiday Romance and three pieces from Mugby Junction.

Some items requiring a little further explanation are Prince Bull, written as a fairy tale, but in reality a scathing attack on the Government's handling of supplies to the troops in the Crimean War; Old Lamps for New Ones in which Dickens makes clear his low opinion of the ethos of the Pre-Raphaelite school of painting; and Frauds on the Fairies, a polemic against George Cruikshank's bowdlerisation of fairy tales for moralistic purposes, and the interesting revelation that 'product placement' is by no means a new phenomenon. (Introduction by Ruth Golding) (7 hr 40 min)

Chapters

Prince Bull: A Fairy Tale from 'Reprinted Pieces' 16:22 Read by Carl Manchester
The Poor Relation's Story from 'Some Christmas Stories' 25:06 Read by Michele Eaton
Speech: February 1842, Boston 11:31 Read by Laurie Anne Walden
Barbox Brothers from 'Mugby Junction' 1:00:42 Read by Andy Minter (1934-2017)
Barbox Brothers & Co. from 'Mugby Junction' 41:59 Read by Andy Minter (1934-2017)
Main Line: The Boy at Mugby from 'Mugby Junction' 22:54 Read by ToddHW
Frauds on the Fairies from Household Words Vol. VIII No. 184 21:43 Read by NoelBadrian
Introductory Romance From the Pen of William Tinkling, Esq. (Aged Eight) from '… 17:47 Read by Elizabeth Klett
Old Lamps for New Ones 17:19 Read by Ruth Golding
A Tale of the Good Old Times 23:00 Read by TriciaG
Some Particulars Concerning a Lion from 'Mudfog and Other Sketches' 12:33 Read by Elizabeth Klett
To be Read at Dusk 28:42 Read by TriciaG
The Ghost of the Late Mr. James Barber 17:19 Read by Jason Mills
The Amusements of the People I 18:06 Read by Mary Schneider
A Walk In A Workhouse from 'Reprinted Pieces' 18:43 Read by Carl Manchester
The Hymn of the Wiltshire Labourers 2:26 Read by Kristin G.
Speech: London, June 5 1867 to the Railway Benevolent Society 11:03 Read by Arielle Lipshaw
The Holly Tree, First Branch - Myself 57:28 Read by Ruth Golding
The Holly Tree, Second Branch - The Boots 27:15 Read by Ruth Golding
The Holly Tree, Third Branch - The Bill 8:40 Read by Ruth Golding

Reviews

What a Treat!


(5 stars)

The 200th anniversary collection offers an exceptional opportunity to discover much of Dickens’ less known work, including short stories published in Household Words. Standouts among these are the delightful Bartox Brothers segments from “Mugby Junction,” brilliantly read by Andy Minton. True to Dickens’ own famed reading approach, Minton brings the story’s rich settings and characters to life with unique individual inflections and accents, beautifully expressed by his rich baritone voice. Star Librivox readers make the whole volume a very special compilation.