“Goodheart (humanities, Brandeis U.) compiles 18 essays, many previously published, on the career, life, influence, critical contexts, resources, and critical readings of the work of Charles Dickens. English and literature scholars from the US provide biographical sketches and descriptions of his reputation and the historical context in which Dickens wrote, and examine his blend of realism and fantasy, the plots, characters, autobiographical nature, and themes of the novels Oliver Twist, David Copperfield, Great Expectations, Bleak House, Hard Times, and Little Dorrit.”