I'd love to hear why some people have given this book one-star; that seems preposterous. Granted, it's kind of silly to rank a book like this in the first place. It does exactly what it says on the tin; nothing more.

The Encyclopedia isn't exactly something you'll read through, or pick up often. But it's a well-written, comprehensive database of information. Every novel, short story, and play is catalogued, with simple but comprehensive plot summaries. Also, every character and place mentioned in the works is catalogued, with very brief summaries (They're usually one to three sentences, but will reveal endings to books in some cases.) followed by a quote or two. Therein follows a lengthy timeline of Dickens' life, and listing of principal players in his own life.

Dickens, like Shakespeare and only a few other authors in history, has an extensive oeuvre of characters who really do populate a world. There are many great storytellers - Conan Doyle, Christie, Wodehouse - who created hundreds of characters but few who remain truly memorable, instead just memorable if you enjoyed that particular work. Many others - Proust, Balzac, Melville - populate their world with fascinating characters, but it was their works, not their characters and milieus that had an effect on Western culture. In this respect, it makes perfect sense to have an encyclopedia with all 2000 of Dickens' characters, in all their grotesque glory. The Hardwicks are wonderful people, lovers of compilations, and it's certainly a useful tool for reference while reading, remembering, quoting, or discussing one of the greatest of all English novelists. ( )

http://www.xs4all.nl/~embden11/Engels2/hardwickm.htm ( )