Charles Dickens has 115 audiobooks on Listento.it, narrated by 227 narrators, with an average listener rating of 4.2★ across 3,739 ratings. The most-rated is A Christmas Carol.
The Pickwick Papers
Summary
This edition of The Pickwick Papers features an exclusive introduction, written and narrated by Neil Gaiman. This Audible Exclusive retelling of Charles Dickens’ first novel, The Posthumous Papers of the Pickwick Club, or as we now know it, The Pickwick Papers, is brought expertly to life by multi-award-winning actor Rory Kinnear. A huge success, The Pickwick Papers catapulted young Dickens to fame and sold over 40,000 copies by the release of the last instalment. Stage adaptations were soon performed and merchandise quickly sold out to a public who dreamed of owning their own Pickwick cigars, song books and china figurines. About the book When Samuel Pickwick decides to establish and preside over a travelling society, he unknowingly brings together three of the oddest men in all of London: Tracy Tupman, the loveless self-professed ladies’ man, Augustus Snodgrass, the poet who’s never put pen to paper, and Nathaniel Winkle, the endlessly clumsy sportsman. Introductions made and plans established, the ‘Pickwickians’ set off in search of new adventures outside of the confines of the city. Along with a host of other colourful Dickensian characters such as Mr Pickwick’s love-struck landlady, Mrs Bardell, and his trusty sidekick, Sam Weller. The Pickwick Papers manages to both move and amuse the listener as the protagonists find themselves in a whole host of bizarre situations they had not bargained for. About the author With his father incarcerated, Charles Dickens had to abandon his studies at a young age and worked in a factory to support himself. Despite his short-lived education, Dickens went on to write 15 novels, various articles, novellas and short stories. He lectured and led campaigns for children's rights and education and arguably became the ultimate self-made man. Dickens had strong values, and they pervade The Pickwick Papers, which is not only one of his most comical texts but one in which he lays the groundwork for future satires expressing his deep-felt discontent with Victorian values. About the narrator Rory Kinnear is an award-winning actor for his work both on stage and on screen. He is known for his portrayal of Bill Tanner in the James Bond films and is also recognisable for his television work including Black Mirror and Count Arthur Strong. His audiobook credits include Anthony Horowitz’s The Word Is Murder, Nutshell by Ian McEwan, and now this fantastic version of The Pickwick Papers.
Public Domain (P)2018 Audible, Ltd
The Charles Dickens BBC Radio Drama Collection: The Later Years
Summary
Enthralling radio dramatisations of eight of Charles Dickens' much-loved novels.
Charles Dickens is one of the most renowned authors of all time, and this second digital volume of the dramatised canon of his work includes eight of his classic novels.
This collection includes the epic masterpiece David Copperfield, described by Dickens as his 'favourite child'; suspenseful mystery Bleak House; Dickens' most openly political novel, Hard Times; and Little Dorrit, a sweeping tale of imprisonment, poverty and riches. Also included are A Tale of Two Cities, set during the French Revolution; coming-of-age novel Great Expectations; sweeping satire of wealth and corruption Our Mutual Friend; and Dickens' final, unfinished story, The Mystery of Edwin Drood.
With a star cast including Robert Glenister, Robert Lindsay, Honeysuckle Weeks, Kenneth Cranham, Sir Ian McKellen, Alison Steadman, Geraldine McEwan, Andrew Scott and Ian Holm, these radio adaptations bring Dickens' imaginative world to colourful, captivating life.
©2018 BBC Worldwide Ltd (P)2018 BBC Worldwide Ltd
Dombey and Son
Summary
Dombey and Son is vintage Dickens and explores the classic themes of betrayal, cruelty and deceit. Dombey's dysfunctional relationships are painted against a backdrop of social unrest in industrialized London, which is populated by a host of fascinating and memorable secondary characters. The complete and unabridged novel is brought spectacularly to life by veteran reader David Timson.PLEASE NOTE: When you purchase this title, the accompanying reference material will be available in your Library section along with the audio.
Public Domain (P)2009 Naxos Audiobooks
Oliver Twist
Summary
This Audible Exclusive production revisits one of Dickens' most popular novels: Oliver Twist, narrated by internationally acclaimed, award-winning actor Jonathan Pryce. Part of the Dickens Collection, an exclusive series of unmissable performances, Oliver Twist is a gleaming example of the genius and foresight of Charles Dickens. When young orphan, Oliver Twist, is sold into an apprenticeship with an undertaker, he leaves behind years of miserable servitude and mistreatment at an English workhouse. Hoping to move on to better things, he decides to escape his new, equally dreary surroundings and head to London. It is there that the novel unravels as Oliver meets a host of larger-than-life characters, including The Artful Dodger, a high-ranking member of a juvenile pickpocketing gang, and their elderly leader, Fagin. Desperate for affection and the sense of belonging that he has never known, Oliver unwittingly throws himself into a life of petty theft, which soon takes a violent turn with the introduction of one of Dickens' most terrifying characters, Bill Sikes. Exposing the cruel and inhumane treatment of orphans in 19th-century England, Dickens created one of the most significant social novels of all time. With it, he condemned the establishment for neglecting homeless children and leaving them vulnerable to recruiters who would exploit and abuse them. Oliver Twist cemented Dickens’ reputation as one of the most talented, influential and revolutionary of English authors. Following his father’s incarceration, Charles Dickens had to abandon his studies at a young age and set to work in a factory so as to support himself. Despite his short-lived education, Dickens went on to write 15 novels, various articles, novellas and short stories. He lectured and led campaigns for children's rights and education and arguably became the ultimate self-made man. Jonathan Pryce is an award-winning actor of the stage and screen. He is best known for Brazil, Glengarry Glen Ross, Evita, Tomorrow Never Dies, and the Pirates of the Caribbean series as well as his widely recognised performances as High Sparrow in HBO’s Game of Thrones and Cardinal Wolsey in BBC’s Wolf Hall. Jonathan most recently starred opposite Glenn Close in the critically acclaimed film The Wife, directed by Björn Runge. He can soon be seen as Don Quixote in Terry Gilliam’s The Man Who Killed Don Quixote and in the upcoming Netflix feature film The Pope, directed by Fernando Meirelles, in which he stars as Pope Francis opposite Anthony Hopkins.
Public Domain (P)2019 Audible, Ltd
A Tale of Two Cities
Summary
Exclusively from Audible 'It was the best of times, it was the worst of times'; so the recording begins and ends with some of Dickens's best-known words, and between those lines is every Briton's view of the worst excesses of the French Revolution. Set in London and Paris before and during the French Revolution, the audiobook tells the story of a French doctor who is imprisoned for 18 years in the Bastille in Paris. Upon his release, he moves to London with his daughter, Lucie, whom he had never met. She marries but there is conflict between her husband and the people who decades earlier caused her father's imprisonment. Set against the backdrop of the conditions that led up to the French Revolution, it depicts the plight of the French peasantry demoralised by the French aristocracy and the brutality demonstrated by the revolutionaries during the Reign of Terror, towards the former aristocrats. Dickens was one of eight children from a very poor family, with his father eventually being sent to debtor's prison. Dickens began work at the age of 12 to help clear the family debt. It was this troublesome childhood that provided him with much of the material for his novels and lent him a sympathetic voice for the poor. Narrator Biography Martin Jarvis is one of Britain's most admired actors. His audiobook output is legendary. He is described in Vanity Fair as 'the Olivier of audiobooks' and 'genius of the Spoken Word' in the LA Times. Award-winning recordings range from titles by Charles Dickens, P.G. Wodehouse and Michael Frayn to thrillers by Jeffrey Archer, Wilbur Smith, Ian Fleming and Dick Francis. Martin's BBC Just William recordings are worldwide best sellers. He has starred in many acclaimed West End and National Theatre productions and received the Theatre World Award as Jeeves on Broadway. Numerous UK television appearances encompass Law & Order, Doctor Who, Endeavour, Inspector Morse and The Forsyte Saga. In America: Murder She Wrote, Numb3rs, Cosmos and Walker, Texas Ranger. Films include Titanic, The Girl with the Dragon Tattoo and Wreck-It Ralph. Videogames: 'Alfred' in Batman, 'Finn McMissile' in Cars. Martin is invested by HM the Queen as Officer of Order of the British Empire (OBE).
Public Domain (P)2014 Audible, Inc.
10 Essential Pieces of Literature
Summary
This Audiobook contains the following works:
The prophet [Khalil Gibran],
Treasure Island [Robert Louis Stevenson],
White fang [Jack London],
The Time machine [H. G. Wells],
The Battle of Life [Charles Dickens],
The Adventure of Sherlock Holmes [Arthur Conan Doyle],
The Three Musketeers [Alexandre Dumas],
The adventures of Pinocchio [Carlo Collodi],
Robinson Crusoe [Daniel Defoe],
The Adventures of Huckleberry Finn [Mark Twain].
©2019 Khalil Gibran (P)2019 MustRead
Nicholas Nickleby (Dramatised)
Summary
Left penniless by the death of his father, 19-year-old Nicholas Nickleby seeks help, along with his mother and sister, from Uncle Ralph Nickleby. The hard-hearted money lender takes an instant dislike to his nephew and gets rid of the boy by securing him a teaching position at Dotheboys Hall, where the evil Wackford Squeers presides. Horrified by the barbarity he sees there, Nicholas defies Squeers and is forced to flee. He is joined by Smike, who has been treated cruelly by Squeers, and the two become great friends.
Nicholas joins a travelling theatre troupe and enjoys great success, but with his mother and sister depending on him for their survival, he must find a way to make a decent living. His adventures are numerous and include some of Dickens' most comic characters.
Starring Anna Massey, Sophie Thompson, Ken Campbell, and Tom Baker, with Alex Jennings as the voice of Dickens.
©2012 AudioGO Ltd (P)2012 AudioGO Ltd
Great Expectations
Summary
The classic Charles Dickens novel, performed by one of Britain's greatest comedians. Widely considered to be Charles Dickens' greatest and best-loved work, Great Expectations was first published as a serial between December 1860 - August 1861 and has been in print ever since. The story of a young boy from humble origins who dares to dream of becoming a gentleman, it is one of Dickens' most enduring and widely adapted novels. In this new unabridged production, star comedian and polymath Eddie Izzard infuses the story of Pip with his trademark wit and flair, and breathes new life into some of Dickens' most memorable characters, while staying completely faithful to the novel. A unique performer and storyteller, Eddie has long held a fascination for Dickens and his work. Whether you're already well-acquainted with the story or you've never read a Charles Dickens novel, this is a must-listen.
Public Domain (P)2018 Headline Publishing Group Ltd
The Pickwick Papers
Summary
The Pickwick Papers, Dickens's first novel, is a delightful romp through the pre-Reform Bill England of 1827. Samuel Pickwick and the rest of the Pickwickians are some of the most memorable of all Dickens's creations, and it is a joy to hear of their adventures in search of "interesting scenes and characters", and the repeated efforts of the quick-witted Sam Weller to rescue them all from disaster. PLEASE NOTE: When you purchase this title, the accompanying reference material will be available in your Library section along with the audio.
Public Domain (P)2012 Naxos AudioBooks
Little Dorrit
Summary
This Audible Exclusive production revisits Charles Dickens’ tragi-comic novel Little Dorrit. Written during the Crimean War, it a story of fortunes won and lost and a masterly portrayal of the failings of Victorian Society, with the ever-present spectre of law enforcement and imprisonment looming over a fearful population. One of his later works, Dickens’ maturity shines through this masterpiece and a uniquely powerful and touching love story ensues from amongst scenes of heart-wrenching injustice. About the book Following the death of his beloved father, Arthur Clennam returns to his home in London in order to reunite with his wheelchair-bound mother. Narrowly escaping from the clutches of his former fiancée, Flora Finching, Arthur finds solace in the company of his mother’s new seamstress, the innocent and sweet Little Amy Dorrit. The youngest of three children, Amy works hard to support her father, who, as Arthur learns, has been imprisoned in Marshalsea debtors’ prison since before her time. Without a mother to care for them, Little Dorrit and her siblings reside with Mr Dorrit, and she, being the most caring of them all, takes it upon herself to pay off his debts through her needlework. Wishing to find out more about their serendipitous connection and how such a girl could possibly have ended up in his mother’s well-to-do household, Arthur sets out to help Amy and uncover the Clennam’s long-held family secrets, a journey which will inevitably alter the course of both of their lives. About the author Like Mr William Dorrit, Dickens’ father was held at Marshalsea debtors’ prison, the memory of which haunted Dickens for years to come and eventually inspired him to transform his childhood recollections into a book entitled Little Dorrit. At a young age, Charles Dickens had to abandon his studies and set to work in a factory so as to support himself. Despite his short-lived education, Dickens went on to write 15 novels and various articles, novellas and short stories. He lectured and led campaigns for children's rights and education and arguably became the ultimate self-made man. About the narrator Juliet Stevenson CBE is an Olivier award-winning actress known for her career spanning theatre, film and television. Her film credits include Bend It Like Beckham (2002) and Truly Madly Deeply (1990). Juliet starred in Robert Icke’s 2017/2018 adaptation of Mary Stuart (Almeida & Duke of York’s Theatre) where she played not only the titular role but also the role of Elizabeth I consecutively, swapping parts at the literal flip of a coin between herself and Lia Williams. Most recently she appeared in series 2 of Riviera. Juliet’s versatility knows no bounds, and she recently collaborated with both Ruby Wax and Deborah Frances-White on a series of new comedy sketches.
Public Domain (P)2019 Audible, Ltd
Experience and Education
Summary
Experience and Education is the best concise statement on education ever published by John Dewey, the man acknowledged to be the pre-eminent educational theorist of the twentieth century. Written more than two decades after Democracy and Education (Dewey's most comprehensive statement of his position in educational philosophy), this book demonstrates how Dewey reformulated his ideas as a result of his intervening experience with the progressive schools and in the light of the criticisms his theories had received. Analyzing both "traditional" and "progressive" education, Dr. Dewey here insists that neither the old nor the new education is adequate and that each is miseducative because neither of them applies the principles of a carefully developed philosophy of experience. Many pages of this volume illustrate Dr. Dewey's ideas for a philosophy of experience and its relation to education. He particularly urges that all teachers and educators looking for a new movement in education should think in terms of the deeped and larger issues of education rather than in terms of some divisive "ism" about education, even such an "ism" as "progressivism." His philosophy, here expressed in its most essential, most readable form, predicates an American educational system that respects all sources of experience, on that offers a true learning situation that is both historical and social, both orderly and dynamic.
©1938 Kappa Delta Pi (P)2013 Redwood Audiobooks
A Christmas Carol: The Unabridged Classic Narrated by Chandler Craig
Summary
An illuminating reading of the greatest Christmas classic ever written: A Christmas Carol by Charles Dickens. Narrated by Chandler Craig.
©2014 Skylark Publishing Company (P)2014 Skylark Publishing Company
Christmas Book at Bedtime: Complete Series
Summary
Everyone loves a bedtime story. And here are eight of the best from BBC Radio 4's Book at Bedtime, each with a Christmas theme, written by an array of literature's best-known names. They include Laurie Lee, Charles Dickens, and Hans Christian Andersen - just some of the storytellers included in this collection. Amongst those giving voice to these stories are Patricia Routledge, Joss Ackland, Miriam Margolyes, Dame Judi Dench, and Richard Briers. Intriguing, funny, poignant, and above all entertaining, these eight Christmas stories are the best of Book at Bedtime.
©2001 BBC Audiobooks Ltd (P)2010 AudioGO Ltd
The Great Detective Collection
Summary
An engrossing collection of detective stories featuring all the great classic sleuths, including Sherlock Holmes, Father Brown, Max Carrados, J. G. Reeder, and C. Auguste Dupin. 1. "The Tea-Leaf" by Edgar Jepson & Robert Eustace 2. "The Queer Feet" by G. K. Chesterton 3. "The Curious Circumstances of the Two Left Shoes" by Ernest Bramah 4. "The Club of One-Eyed Men" by Arthur Somers Roche 5. "Diamond Cut Diamond" by F. Britten Austin 6. "The Game Played in the Dark" by Ernest Bramah 7. "Murder Under the Microscope" by William Russell 8. "The Purloined Letter" by Edgar Allan Poe 9. "The Hammer of God" by G. K. Chesterton 10. "Who Killed Zebedee" by Wilkie Collins 11. "The Treasure Hunt" by Edgar Wallace 12. "The Shadow of the Shark" by G. K. Chesterton 13. "The Red Headed League" by Sir Arthur Conan Doyle 14. "The Story of Baelbrow" by E. and H. Heron 15. "The Invisible Man" by G. K. Chesterton 16. "The Perfect Crime" by Seamark 17. "The Wedding Guest" by Guy Boothby 18. "The Trial for Murder" by Charles Dickens 19. "The Adventure of the Blue Carbuncle" by Sir Arthur Conan Doyle 20. "The Magic Casket" by R. Austin Freeman 21. "The Last Exploit of Harry the Actor" by Ernest Bramah 22. "The Murders in the Rue Morgue" by Edgar Allan Poe 23. "The Mystery of Marie Roget" by Edgar Allan Poe 24. "To Be Taken in Water" by George Walter Thornbury
Public Domain (P)2015 Red Door Audiobooks
Great Expectations (Adaptation)
Summary
In a gloomy, neglected house Miss Havisham sits, as she has sat year after year, in a wedding dress and veil that were once white, and are now faded and yellow with age. Her face is like a death’s head; her dark eyes burn with bitterness and hate. By her side sits a proud and beautiful girl, and in front of her, trembling with fear in his thick country boots, stands young Pip. Miss Havisham stares at Pip coldly, and murmurs to the girl at her side: ’Break his heart, Estella. Break his heart!’ An Oxford Bookworms Library reader for learners of English, adapted from the Charles Dickens original by Clare West.
©1992 Oxford University Press (P)2008 Oxford University Press
Oliver Twist
Summary
Oliver Twist sets everything forth in just the title: a twisting and turning of plot events that take the young boy - as well as the listener - on a very emotional journey, from start to finish. The young Oliver is orphaned practically at birth, and when he grows up, he is passed off to several people who simply put him to work without really caring for him. Oliver escapes after being put to work by a coffin-maker, yet his new found freedom leads him right to a few individuals who do not have his best interests in mind. They're so-called friends who take him in, yet they have the intention of priming him to be a pick-pocket. But with each downturn in his life, there is a corresponding up-swing for Oliver. It's incredible to note that he is such a young age throughout the story, when many of the tasks he faced and overcame were so mature. Despite his tribulations, his run-ins with people who are trying to harm him, and his brief captivity with a band of criminals, Oliver experiences a happy ending after all, which has made all of the journeying and the searching worth it for him.
©2015 A.R.N. Publications (P)2015 A.R.N. Publications
A Christmas Carol and Other Christmas Writings
Summary
Brought to you by Penguin. After reading Christmas Carol, the notoriously reclusive Thomas Carlyle was 'seized with a perfect convulsion of hospitality' and threw not one but two Christmas dinner parties. The impact of the story may not always have been so dramatic but, along with Dickens' other Christmas writings, it has had a lasting and significant influence upon our ideas about the Christmas spirit and about the season as a time for celebration, charity and memory.
Public Domain (P)2020 Penguin Audio
Our Mutual Friend
Summary
John Harmon, in exile for many years, discovers that by a curious quirk in his father’s will he must marry Bella Wilfer, a girl he has never met, in order to claim his inheritance. Mistakenly thought to have drowned, on his return he gains employment with the kindly Mr Boffin under the assumed name of John Rokesmith and falls in love with the flighty and mercenary Bella, who scornfully rejects him as a mere impoverished secretary. But Boffin and his wife contrive a plan to help John and show Bella the error of her ways.
Public Domain (P)2014 Audible, Inc.
Ghost Stories
Summary
Charles Dickens was a master of the macabre. His stories of madness, murder and revenge, often imbued with a sympathetic moral undertone, have continued to thrill and chill fans ever since they were written. Here then are 15 tales that display the full range of Dickens' Gothic talents. "The Signalman," perhaps the most well-known, is a chilling story about a mysterious figure and its deathly omen; "The Haunted Man and the Ghost's Bargain" shows the consequences for those who make deals with the dead; "The Portrait-Painter's Story" follows an artist who paints a non-living person by memory; and "Captain Murderer and the Devil's Bargain," a bedtime story from Dickens' own childhood, tells of a bloodthirsty man who kills his brides and bakes them into pies. Among others, the collection also includes "A Christmas Carol," "The Baron of Grogzwig" from "The Pickwick Papers," and "The Ghost in the Bride's Chamber," a novella co-written with Wilkie Collins.
Public Domain (P)2018 Naxos Audiobooks
Doug Bradley's Spinechillers Audio Books, Volume 1
Summary
Classic stories from the original masters of horror, including Edgar Allan Poe, H.P. Lovecraft, and Charles Dickens. Read by horror icon Doug Bradley with music and sound design by Alistair Lock. This volume features William F. Harvey's original undead hand story "The Beast with Five Fingers" that sparked many movies, including Sam Raimi's "The Evil Dead". Poe's classic "The Tell Tale Heart" is joined by Lovecraft's creepy tale of alienation "The Outsider", and a chilling Dickens ghost story "The Signalman". Harvey's other selected story, "August Heat", asks a chilling question about a man's fate, and Saki offers something different with a tale of dead hunters returned from their marshy graves in "The Open Window".
©2009 Renegade Arts Entertainment Ltd (P)2009 Renegade Arts Entertainment Ltd