Charles Dickens' novels are read and loved throughout the world, written at a time of struggle with the French emperor Napoleon and in an England at the peak of its power and prosperity through commerce, industry and the vigour of a fervently respectable middle class. The novels bear the stamp of the turbulent period in which Dickens' life was lived, conveying a strong sense of progress and reform. This colourful and well-written guide conducts the reader through Dickens' world via his life, both personal and professional. It includes a list of important dates in Dickens' life and work, and a gazetteer of places to visit for a glimpse into the man himself and what inspired his novels.