The Old Curiosity Shop

'His characters are marvellous, his insights wonderful ... You don't expect reality but you get something bigger and better' Ruth Rendell The Old Curiosity Shop was an instant bestseller that, even while it was criticized for its sentimentality, captured the hearts of the nation with its portrayal of little Nell Trent, who is thrown into a terrifying world when her beloved grandfather is unable to pay his debts to the loathsome Quilp. Alongside the pathos of the innocent, tragic Nell are some of Dickens's greatest characters: the ne'er-do'well Dick Swiveller, the mannish lawyer Sally Brass, the half-starved 'Marchioness' and the lustful Quilp himself, a creation of demonic power and cruelty. Edited with an Introduction and Notes by Norman Page

Phiz - real name Hablot Knight Browne - worked together with Charles Dickens for over 20 years, illustrating some of the best known characters in English literature. This book profiles the life of Phiz, which was as rich and colourful as any of Dickens' own creations.

The Old Curiosity Shop is one of two novels (the other being Barnaby Rudge) which Charles Dickens published along with short stories in his weekly serial Master Humphrey's Clock, from 1840 to 1841. It was so popular that New York readers stormed the wharf when the ship bearing the final instalment arrived in 1841. The Old Curiosity Shop was printed in book form in 1841.The plot follows the life of Nell Trent and her grandfather, both residents of The Old Curiosity Shop in London.Queen Victoria read the novel in 1841 and found it "very interesting and cleverly written".

History shapes those who travel through it Following the unexplained disappearance of her parents, and in a last ditch attempt to save the antique store she has inherited from financial ruin, Sarah Lester takes on a deceased estate. Amongst the estate is a collection of vintage postcards which lead Sarah on a journey through time. Sarah is unprepared for what these postcards hint at about their reclusive former owner, and soon they complicate her life in unimaginable ways, transporting her to Victorian London, colonial New Zealand and to the British Raj in India. Sarah has to fight her twenty-first century instincts, and a century of emancipation, to survive. Traversing three continents and two centuries, where tiger hunts and ruby necklaces are irrevocably entwined with murders and mysteries, auction houses and antiquities, Sarah is drawn into the enigma that could solve her parents' disappearance, and the question of should she stay or should she go, gets harder and harder to answer, the deeper she delves into the past. Perfect for fans of the Outlander series and lovers of The Time Travelers Wife. What people are saying about Fifteen Postcards: "If history lessons had been this entertaining, I would have scored an A+!." -Andrene Low, author of the Excess Baggage series "This story is one for devotees of adventurous historical fiction and tales of plucky young women finding their feet." -Stephanie Jones, CoastFM Book Reviewer "I think the author has done a commendable job in bringing the story to life and it's obvious that she has used extensive historical research to ensure that the story always feels authentic and that's not an easy feat to pull off." -JaffaReadsToo, Book Blogger "Kirsten McKenzie has written a very unusual novel: part time travel, part historical, and part antique review. Sarah’s adventures in other times and other continents, linked together by the postcards and the antiques, are well researched and entertainingly written." -Historical Novel Society What reviewers are saying about Kirsten McKenzie: "McKenzie has done a spectacular job of combining well-researched history with a hint of mysterious intrigue." -Anxious Canadian Blog "Kirsten Mckenzie has written an excellent foray into historical fiction. I'm honestly not quite sure how she was able to keep up with and integrate the different settings, time periods, and characters without losing her place. But she managed it magnificently." -Author Sean Whittaker "McKenzie’s descriptions of the shop are well drawn and wonderfully evoke the jumbled chaos of layers of leftovers from centuries of everyday life." -NZBookLovers blog

First published in the year 1840, celebrated Victorian romantic novelist Charlotte Brontë's present book 'The Old Curiosity Shop' follows the life of Nell Trent and her grandfather, both residents of The Old Curiosity Shop in London.