The children at Mr Gradgrind's school are sternly ordered to stifle their imaginations and pay attention only to cold, hard reality. They live in a...... more

The children at Mr Gradgrind's school are sternly ordered to stifle their imaginations and pay attention only to cold, hard reality. They live in a smoky, troubled industrial town so entertainment is hard to come by and resentments run deep.

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In the persons of Gradgrind and Bounderby, Dickens stigmatized the prevalent philosophy of utilitarianism which, whether in school or factory,...... more

In the persons of Gradgrind and Bounderby, Dickens stigmatized the prevalent philosophy of utilitarianism which, whether in school or factory, allowed human beings to be caged in a dreary scenery of brick terraces and foul chimneys, to be enslaved to machines and reduced to numbers.

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Left penniless after his feckless father's death, young Nicholas Nickleby has no choice but to make his own way in the world. For the sake of his mother and...... more

Left penniless after his feckless father's death, young Nicholas Nickleby has no choice but to make his own way in the world. For the sake of his mother and sister, he is forced by his hard-hearted uncle to take a post as an assistant master at Dotheboys Hall, a school for unwanted boys, run by the cruel and tyrannical headmaster, Wackford Squeers. But this is only the beginning of Nicholas's adventures in this most entertaining of Charles Dickens's novels. We follow the progress of Nicholas and his slow-witted companion Smike on their travels and encounter a supporting cast of delectable characters including the rambunctious Crummles theatre company and their talented performing pony, the dastardly Sir Mulberry Hawk, the delightful Mrs. Nickleby, the preposterous Kenwings, and many more. Like many of Dickens's novels, Nicholas Nickleby is characterized by his criticism of cruelty and social injustice, but is above all one of the greatest comic masterpieces of nineteenth-century literature.

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Coketown is dominated by the figure of Mr Thomas Gradgrind, school headmaster and model of Utilitarian success. Feeding both his pupils and family with...... more

Coketown is dominated by the figure of Mr Thomas Gradgrind, school headmaster and model of Utilitarian success. Feeding both his pupils and family with facts, he bans fancy and wonder from any young minds. As a consequence his obedient daughter Louisa marries the loveless businessman and bully of humanity Mr Bounderby.

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A melodrama of honest youth triumphing over vice and injustice, this novel is an indignant protest against cruelty and oppression, most memorably encapsulated...... more

A melodrama of honest youth triumphing over vice and injustice, this novel is an indignant protest against cruelty and oppression, most memorably encapsulated in Dickens's portrayal of Mr Squeers and his wicked boarding school - a passage which helped to reform the Victorian education system.

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Nicholas Nickleby is a kind man who works at a cruel school full of poor, hungry children. Can he ever find happiness in a world where stupid, greedy...... more

Nicholas Nickleby is a kind man who works at a cruel school full of poor, hungry children. Can he ever find happiness in a world where stupid, greedy people have all the power and brave, honest people have nothing? Now a major film.

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Left penniless after his feckless father's death, young Nicholas Nickleby has no choice but to make his own way in the world. For the sake of his mother and...... more

Left penniless after his feckless father's death, young Nicholas Nickleby has no choice but to make his own way in the world. For the sake of his mother and sister, he is forced by his hard-hearted uncle to take a post as an assistant master at Dotheboys Hall, a school for unwanted boys, run by the cruel and tyrannical headmaster, Wackford Squeers. But this is only the beginning of Nicholas's adventures in this most entertaining of Charles Dickens's novels. We follow the progress of Nicholas and his slow-witted companion Smike on their travels and encounter a supporting cast of delectable characters including the rambunctious Crummles theatre company and their talented performing pony, the dastardly Sir Mulberry Hawk, the delightful Mrs. Nickleby, the preposterous Kenwings, and many more. Like many of Dickens's novels, Nicholas Nickleby is characterized by his criticism of cruelty and social injustice, but is above all one of the greatest comic masterpieces of nineteenth-century literature.

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Coketown is dominated by the figure of Mr Thomas Gradgrind, school headmaster and model of Utilitarian success. Feeding both his pupils and family with...... more

Coketown is dominated by the figure of Mr Thomas Gradgrind, school headmaster and model of Utilitarian success. Feeding both his pupils and family with facts, he bans fancy and wonder from any young minds. As a consequence his obedient daughter Louisa marries the loveless businessman and bully of humanity Mr Bounderby.

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The children at Mr Gradgrind's school are sternly ordered to stifle their imaginations and pay attention only to cold, hard reality. They live in a...... more

The children at Mr Gradgrind's school are sternly ordered to stifle their imaginations and pay attention only to cold, hard reality. They live in a smoky, troubled industrial town so entertainment is hard to come by and resentments run deep.

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In the persons of Gradgrind and Bounderby, Dickens stigmatized the prevalent philosophy of utilitarianism which, whether in school or factory,...... more

In the persons of Gradgrind and Bounderby, Dickens stigmatized the prevalent philosophy of utilitarianism which, whether in school or factory, allowed human beings to be caged in a dreary scenery of brick terraces and foul chimneys, to be enslaved to machines and reduced to numbers.

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A melodrama of honest youth triumphing over vice and injustice, this novel is an indignant protest against cruelty and oppression, most memorably encapsulated...... more

A melodrama of honest youth triumphing over vice and injustice, this novel is an indignant protest against cruelty and oppression, most memorably encapsulated in Dickens's portrayal of Mr Squeers and his wicked boarding school - a passage which helped to reform the Victorian education system.

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Named after the man who delivered him as a baby, Doctor Marigold is a poor hawker who, after a dreadful turn of events, finds happiness with his adopted...... more

Named after the man who delivered him as a baby, Doctor Marigold is a poor hawker who, after a dreadful turn of events, finds happiness with his adopted daughter Sophy. She is a deaf mute, and to help her learn to read and communicate, Doctor Marigold 'prescribes' her various stories, which he collects into a book while she is at school.

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Nicholas Nickleby is a kind man who works at a cruel school full of poor, hungry children. Can he ever find happiness in a world where stupid, greedy...... more

Nicholas Nickleby is a kind man who works at a cruel school full of poor, hungry children. Can he ever find happiness in a world where stupid, greedy people have all the power and brave, honest people have nothing? Now a major film.

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This 2000 television adaptation confirms Nicholas Nickleby's place among television dramatists' favourite Dickens novels. It has all the vital...... more

This 2000 television adaptation confirms Nicholas Nickleby's place among television dramatists' favourite Dickens novels. It has all the vital ingredients: a sensitive, intelligent young hero cast by circumstances in the role of everyman whose fortitude is tested at every turn; romance; danger; one of Dickens' richest braces of characters; and a sense of humanity that is, at times, overwhelming. Condensing all this into three hours is no mean achievement. Martyn Edward Hesford's screenplay maintains an impressive balance between dramatic tension and allowing the characters the space they need to reveal their essential qualities. Only in the last 30 minutes does it become something of a gallop to the finishing post. True, the horrors of the boarding school could be more horrific; the grime of Victorian London and its toothless inhabitants could be grimier and less cosmetic. But as always with a superior production of a Dickens novel, the richness and depth of the drama outweigh such minor quibbles. As for the cast, James D'Arcy's Nicholas is pitch-perfect: part cipher for the injustices and despair he encounters, part emblem for the triumph of goodness, an innocent whose eyes are quickly forced open to the darker realities of life. These darker realities are congealed in Charles Dance's relentlessly chilling, heartless Ralph Nickleby. This is a deceptively complex performance; even as we cheer the gathering forces which finally extinguish his increasingly desperate power, the awful tragedy of his end still elicits a discomforting ounce of sympathy. Gregor Fisher as the one-eyed Squeers and Pam Ferris as his fearsomely lascivious wife are outstanding in an ensemble of fine character actors. And Lee Ingleby's Smike gives our tear ducts a good workout while steering just the right side of sentimentality. On the DVD:Nicholas Nickleby is presented in widescreen format with Dolby Digital soundtrack, and has all the technical qualities you might expect from the DVD release of a modern television production. Extras include cast filmographies, a Dickens biography and a list of his work, all of which add to the disc's merits as a literary educational tool. --Piers Ford

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Adapted from the famous novel by Charles Dickens, Lionel Bart's Oliver! is a well known musical full of memorable songs, and is ideal for...... more

Adapted from the famous novel by Charles Dickens, Lionel Bart's Oliver! is a well known musical full of memorable songs, and is ideal for secondary schools. This vocal score has been transcribed by John Evans, and includes all the songs from the musical, including the songs Food Glorious Food, Consider Yourself and I'd Do Anything.

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Parental Guidance Recommended for Younger Viewers Close the doors, dim the lights, take a seat and leave your troubles behind. The Classic Matinee Triple Bill...... more

Parental Guidance Recommended for Younger Viewers Close the doors, dim the lights, take a seat and leave your troubles behind. The Classic Matinee Triple Bill is your exclusive gold pass to the Matinee era - A time of quality, style and sophistication. Great Expectations (1946) Maestro British film director David Lean adapted Charles Dickens classic tale of an orphan boy, Pip, with aspirations to be a gentleman, into one of the most memorable films of the 1940s, Winning Oscars for Best Art Direction and Cinematography and nominated for Best Director, Best Picture and Best Writing. Great Expectations is a masterpiece on every level. To Paris With Love (1955) Sir Edgar Fraser (Alec Guiness), a Scottish aristocrat, decides that it is time for his 20-year-old son to meet a woman. Together they head for Paris where Sir Edgar finds a beautiful girl for his son. Complications arise when Sir Edgar also fall in love with the girl - things get worse when his son falls for the woman he found for his father. The Quiller Memorandum(1961) Quiller is a secret agent assigned to uncover the operations of a neo-Nazi organisation. His enquiries lead him to a school where a World War II Nazi leader has hanged himself. There he encounters a beautiful teacher, Inge, and the two fall in love. He is soon captured by the neo-Nazis but escapes to find Inge, but is Inge as innocent as she first appeared? Release Date: 2010-08-04 Run Time: 261 minutes Cast: George Segal, Jean Simmons, John Mills, Martita Hunt, Max Von Sydow, Odile Versois, Robert Helpmann, Sir Alec Guinness Publisher: Beyond Home Entertainment UPC: 9318500035653

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Key Stage 2 Comprehension provides a unique collection of stimulating texts that appeal strongly to both boys and girls, together with questions that both build...... more

Key Stage 2 Comprehension provides a unique collection of stimulating texts that appeal strongly to both boys and girls, together with questions that both build and stretch comprehension skills and widen vocabulary. Comprising four one-per-child activity books and providing more than 72 texts in total, the series encourages children to pay close attention to literal meaning, make inferences and deductions, observe how writing is structured and identify literary devices. A separate Teacher's Guide is also available. Book 4 reflects the broadening interests and word power of young people who will soon move to secondary school, or have now done so. It includes: non-fiction texts covering the discovery in Russia of a long-extinct mammoth, shells and their origins and the life of explorer Robert Scott, the poignant 'last letter' from Scott to his widow, classic poetry from Rudyard Kipling, Edward Thomas, Edward Lear and William Wordsworth, a short extract from the play 'Hamlet' by William Shakespeare, riveting fiction from R.L. Stevenson, Thomas Hardy, Daniel Defoe and Charles Dickens and absorbing autobiographies and biographical fiction from Roald Dahl and Alison Prince.

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brand crazyladies costumes gender unisex item type frock coat sub theme oliver twist theme charles dickens artful dodger tail coat necktie hat...... more

brand crazyladies costumes gender unisex item type frock coat sub theme oliver twist theme charles dickens artful dodger tail coat necktie hat perfect for any victorian themes made by crazyladies dancewear ltd lovely royal blue tailcoat with black lined tails also includes necktie and hat this costume is ideal for shows and school plays etc this is a great costume for a really classic oliver look the topper is one size only and fits up to a 58 cm head please note trousers shirt models own crazyl

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