Reprinting the original 1850 text, this work also includes Dickens' plans for serialization in "All the Year Round". It includes excerpts from Dickens' letters which should lead to an understanding of the genesis of the novel, as well as Phiz's line drawings. The background section includes an autobigraphical fragment and Dicken's preface to the 1869 edition of the novel. Comprising the criticism section are 12 essays by writers including John Forster, Matthew Arnold, J. Hillis Miller, Gwendolyn B. Needham and Garrett Stewart.