Hard Times: Premium Edition (Unabridged and Illustrated) [Optimized for Nook and Sony-compatible]

by Charles Dickens, Harry French (Illustrator)

Overview

This is the BEST version of Hard Times available for your Nook. This edition is unabridged and includes the original illustrations from the first publication of this work, by artist Harry French. In addition, this ebook has been meticulously proofed for formatting errors and includes a working Table of Contents with selectable links. As with all Codex Ebooks, this edition is DRM-free, which means you can also read it on your Sony Reader, Kobo Reader or any ebook reading device that can display ePub files.

This ebook has been tested on a Nook (and a Sony Reader Touch Edition) to ensure maximum readability. Download a free sample for yourself and compare it against samples of other Nook editions: THIS IS THE BEST VERSION available for your Nook. Don't settle for a version with spelling errors, missing punctuation, bad formatting and no illustrations! Get the best! Satisfaction guaranteed!

(To read this ebook on a device other than a Nook: after you purchase and download the file, it will be located in your "My Documents" folder, in a sub-folder named "My Barnes & Noble eBooks." Use the free program Calibre to move the ebook to your reading device. Enjoy!)--------------------------------------------------------



Information about this title:

Hard Times - For These Times (commonly known as Hard Times) is the tenth novel by Charles Dickens, first published in 1854. The book appraises English society and is aimed at highlighting the social and economic pressures of the times.

The Utilitarians were one of the targets of this novel. Utilitarianism was a prevalent school of thought during this period, its most famous proponents being Jeremy Bentham and John Stuart Mill. Theoretical Utilitarian ethics hold that promotion of general social welfare is the ultimate goal for the individual and society in general: "the greatest amount of happiness for the greatest number of people." Dickens believed that in practical terms, the pursuit of a totally rationalized society could lead to great misery.

Dickens was appalled by what was, in his interpretation, a selfish philosophy, which was combined with materialist laissez-faire capitalism in the education of some children at the time, as well as in industrial practices. In Dickens' interpretation, the prevalence of utilitarian values in educational institutions promoted contempt between mill owners and workers, creating young adults whose imaginations had been neglected, due to an over-emphasis on facts at the expense of more imaginative pursuits.

Dickens wished to satirize radical Utilitarians whom he described in a letter to Charles Knight as "see[ing] figures and averages, and nothing else." He also wished to campaign for reform of working conditions. Dickens had visited factories in Manchester as early as 1839, and was appalled by the environment in which workers toiled. Drawing upon his own childhood experiences, Dickens resolved to "strike the heaviest blow in my power" for those who laboured in horrific conditions.

Product Details

BN ID:	2940012554741
Publisher:	Codex Ebook Services
Publication date:	12/31/2010
Sold by:	Barnes & Noble
Format:	eBook
File size:	2 MB

About the Author

Author:

Charles Dickens was the most popular English novelist of the Victorian era and he remains popular, responsible for some of English literature's most iconic characters.

Many of his novels, with their recurrent concern for social reform, first appeared in magazines in serialized form, a popular format at the time. Unlike other authors who completed entire novels before serialization, Dickens often created the episodes as they were being serialized. The practice lent his stories a particular rhythm, punctuated by cliffhangers to keep the public looking forward to the next installment. The continuing popularity of his novels and short stories is such that they have never gone out of print.

His work has been praised for its mastery of prose and unique personalities by writers such as George Gissing, Leo Tolstoy and G. K. Chesterton.

Date of Birth:

February 7, 1812

Date of Death:

June 18, 1870

Place of Birth:

Portsmouth, England

Place of Death:

Gad's Hill, Kent, England

Education:

Home-schooling; attended Dame School at Chatham briefly and Wellington