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Last edited by Lisa
January 14, 2023 | History

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.

Publish Date
Publisher
Watermill
Language
English
Pages
397

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Previews available in: English Finnish Dutch

Edition Availability
Cover of: A Tale of Two Cities
A Tale of Two Cities
2021-04-11, LibriVox
Digital Audio in English - Version 5
Cover of: A Tale of Two Cities
A Tale of Two Cities
2019, Standard Ebooks
in English
Cover of: Kaksi Kaupunkia
Kaksi Kaupunkia
2015-01-19, Project Gutenberg
ebook in Finnish
Cover of: A Tale of Two Cities
A Tale of Two Cities
2015-06-14, LibriVox
Digital Audio in English - Version 4
Cover of: A Tale of Two Cities
A Tale of Two Cities
2014-05-17, LibriVox
Digital Audio in English - Version 3
Cover of: In Londen en Parijs
In Londen en Parijs
2011-08-05, LibriVox
Digital Audio in Dutch
Cover of: A Tale of Two Cities
A Tale of Two Cities
2011, Dave Mckay
Paperback
Cover of: A Tale of Two Cities
A Tale of Two Cities
2010-12-15, LibriVox
Digital Audio in English - Version 2
Cover of: A Tale of Two Cities
A Tale of Two Cities
2006 November 15, LibriVox
Digital Audio in English
Cover of: A Tale of Two Cities
A Tale of Two Cities
1994-01-01, Project Gutenberg
ebook in English
Cover of: A tale of two Cities
A tale of two Cities
1993, Wordsworth Classics
paperback in English
Cover of: A Tale of Two Cities
A Tale of Two Cities
1983, Watermill
Paperback in English - printing (2)
Cover of: A Tale of Two Cities
A Tale of Two Cities
1966, Heritage Press
in English
Cover of: A Tale of Two Cities (World's Greatest Literature) 1965 HARDCOVER,Fountain Press
Cover of: A Tale of Two Cities
A Tale of Two Cities
1963, Airmont Publishing Co.
in English
Cover of: A Tale of Two Cities
A Tale of Two Cities
1936, New American Library
mass market paperback in English - Eleventh printing
Cover of: A Tale of Two Cities
A Tale of Two Cities
1931, Houghton Mifflin Company, Houghton, Mifflin Co.
hardcover in English
Cover of: A Tale of Two Cities
A Tale of Two Cities
1930-06, The Macmillan company
hardcover in English - reprint
Cover of: A Tale of Two Cities
A Tale of Two Cities
1912, Waverley Book Company
hardcover in English - Special Edition for subscribers only
Cover of: The Works of Charles Dickens
The Works of Charles Dickens: A Tale of Two Cities
1868, Books, Inc
hardcover in English - Cleartype Edition

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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

Copyright Date
1983

The Physical Object

Format
Paperback
Pagination
397p.
Number of pages
397
Dimensions
7 x 4.1 x 0.7 inches
Weight
5.9 ounces

Edition Identifiers

Open Library
OL8236098M
Internet Archive
taleoftwocities0000dick_o9i2
ISBN 10
0893757837
ISBN 13
9780893757830
OCLC/WorldCat
1311136176
Library Thing
17728
Goodreads
3541663

Work Identifiers

Work ID
OL8193465W
BookBrainz
fe11b37b-9c40-43f2-aebc-0b3b8fc2f475
Wikidata
Q308918
MusicBrainz
782a0186-f5eb-482a-856e-144d8a42e6fa

Excerpts

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.
added by Erraticonteuse.

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Features 1 Chapters 25% Table of contents 25% Illustrations 25% Glossary 25%

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History

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January 14, 2023 Edited by Lisa Merge works
January 14, 2023 Edited by ImportBot import existing book
January 1, 2023 Edited by Lisa added details from linked copy
January 1, 2023 Edited by Lisa //covers.openlibrary.org/b/id/13123992-S.jpg
April 29, 2008 Created by an anonymous user Imported from amazon.com record