Barnaby Rudge

Presented here in gorgeous hardcover, Charles Dickens’s first historical novel—set during the anti-Catholic riots of 1780—is an unparalleled portrayal of the terror of a rampaging mob. With an introduction by Peter Ackroyd.

The mob of Barnaby Rudge is represented through the eyes of the individuals swept up in the chaos, including Emma, a Catholic, and Edward, a Protestant, whose forbidden love weaves through the heart of the story; and the simpleminded Barnaby, one of the riot leaders, whose fate is tied to a mysterious murder and whose beloved pet raven, Grip, embodies the mystical power of innocence. The story encompasses both the rarified aristocratic world and the volatile streets and nightmarish underbelly of London, which Dickens characteristically portrays in vivid, pulsating detail. But the real focus of the book is on the riots themselves, depicted with an extraordinary energy and redolent of the dangers, the mindlessness, and the possibilities—both beneficial and brutal—of the mob.

One of his lesser-known novels, Barnaby Rudge is nonetheless among the most brilliant—and most terrifying—in Dickens’s oeuvre.

Everyman’s Library pursues the highest production standards, printing on acid-free cream-colored paper, with full-cloth cases with two-color foil stamping, decorative endpapers, silk ribbon markers, European-style half-round spines, and a full-color illustrated jacket. Everyman’s Library Classics include an introduction, a select bibliography, and a chronology of the author’s life and times.