It was the best of times, it was the worst of times, it was the age of wisdom, it was the age of foolishness, it was the epoch of belief, it was the epoch of incredulity, it was the season of Light, it was the season of Darkness, it was the spring of hope, it was the winter of despair, we had everything before us, we had nothing before us, we were all going direct to Heaven, we were all going direct the other way—in short, the period was so far like the present period, that some of its noisiest authorities insisted on its being received, for good or for evil, in the superlative degree of comparison only.
An edition of A Tale of Two Cities
(1800)
A Tale of Two Cities
First Signet Classic printing (Busch Introduction) (2)
by Charles Dickens
- 1,198 Want to read
- 83 Currently reading
- 260 Have read
Share
×Close
The storming of the Bastille...the death carts with their doomed human carto...the swift drop of the guillotine blade - this is the French Revolution that Charles Dickens vividly captures in his famous work A Tale of Two Cities. With dramatic eloquence, he brings to life a time of terror and treason, a starving people rising in frenzy and hate to overthrow a corrupt and decadent regime. With insight and scenes with unforgettable characters: the sinister Madame Defarge, knitting her patterns of death; the gentle Lucie Manette, unswerving in her devotion to her broken father, the heroic Sydney Carton, who gives his life for the love of a woman who would never be his.
(back cover)
Check nearby libraries
Buy this book
Previews available in: English Finnish Dutch
Subjects
People
Places
Times
Showing 20 featured editions. View all 2059 editions?
| Edition | Availability |
|---|---|
01
|
bbbb
|
02
|
zzzz
|
03
|
bbbb
|
04
|
bbbb
|
05
|
bbbb
|
06
|
bbbb
|
07
|
bbbb
|
08
|
bbbb
|
09
|
bbbb
|
10
A Tale of Two Cities
1997-08, Signet Classic
Mass Market Paperback
in English
- First Signet Classic printing (Busch Introduction) (2)
0451526562 9780451526564
|
aaaa
|
11
|
bbbb
|
12
|
cccc
|
13
|
cccc
|
14
|
cccc
|
15
|
cccc
|
16
A Tale of Two Cities
1936, New American Library
mass market paperback
in English
- Eleventh printing
|
cccc
|
17
|
cccc
|
18
|
cccc
|
19
|
bbbb
|
20
A Tale of Two Cities
1912, Waverley Book Company
hardcover
in English
- Special Edition for subscribers only
|
eeee
|
Book Details
First Sentence
"IT WAS the best of times, it was the worst of times, it was the age of wisdom, it was the age of foolishness, it was the epoch of belief, it was the epoch of incredulity, it was the season of Light, it was the season of Darkness, it was the spring of hope, it was the winter of despair, we had everything before us, we had nothing before us, we were all going direct to Heaven, we were all going direct the other way-in short, the period was so far like the present period, that some of its noisiest authorities insisted on its being received, for good or for evil, in the superlative degree of comparison only."
Edition Notes
US/CAN
Contributors
The Physical Object
Edition Identifiers
Work Identifiers
Source records
Work Description
A Tale of Two Cities is a historical novel published in 1859 by Charles Dickens, set in London and Paris before and during the French Revolution. The novel tells the story of the French Doctor Manette, his 18-year-long imprisonment in the Bastille in Paris, and his release to live in London with his daughter Lucie whom he had never met. The story is set against the conditions that led up to the French Revolution and the Reign of Terror. In the Introduction to the Encyclopedia of Adventure Fiction, critic Don D'Ammassa argues that it is an adventure novel because the protagonists are in constant danger of being imprisoned or killed.
As Dickens's best-known work of historical fiction, A Tale of Two Cities is said to be one of the best-selling novels of all time. In 2003, the novel was ranked 63rd on the BBC's The Big Read poll. The novel has been adapted for film, television, radio, and the stage, and has continued to influence popular culture.
Excerpts
added by Erraticonteuse.
Links outside Open Library
Community Reviews (1)
Features 1
Glossary
25%
Illustrations
25%
Chapters
25%
Table of contents
25%
Lists
Wikipedia citation
×CloseCopy and paste this code into your Wikipedia page. Need help?