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.
A Tale of Two Cities
×Close
An edition of A Tale of Two Cities
(1859)
A Tale of Two Cities
1996 Modern Library ed. (3)
by Charles Dickens and James Gibson
- 65 Ratings
- 422 Want to read
- 33 Currently reading
- 94 Have read
Donate this book to the Internet Archive library.
×CloseHooray! You've discovered a title that's missing from our library. Can you help donate a copy?
- If you own this book, you can mail it to our address below.
- You can also purchase this book from a vendor and ship it to our address:
Benefits of donating
When you donate a physical book to the Internet Archive, your book will enjoy:
- Beautiful high-fidelity digitization
- Long-term archival preservation
- Free controlled digital library access by the print-disabled and public†
Open Library is a project of the Internet Archive, a 501(c)(3) non-profit
Check nearby libraries
Buy this book
When you buy books using these links the Internet Archive may earn a small commission.
An edition of A Tale of Two Cities
(1859)
A Tale of Two Cities
1996 Modern Library ed. (3)
by Charles Dickens and James Gibson
- 65 Ratings
- 422 Want to read
- 33 Currently reading
- 94 Have read
Previews available in: English Chinese Spanish
A Tale of Two Cities is Charles Dickens's great historical novel, set against the violent upheaval of the French Revolution. The most famous and perhaps the most popular of his works, it compresses an event of immense complexity to the scale of a family history, with a cast of characters that includes a bloodthirsty ogress and an antihero as believably flawed as any in modern fiction. Though the least typical of the author's novels, A Tale of Two Cities still underscores many of his enduring themes--imprisonment, injustice, and social anarchy, resurrection and the renunciation that fosters renewal.
"Dickens's French Revolution is probably more like the French Revolution than Carlyle's," said G. K. Chesterton. "In dignity and eloquence A Tale of Two Cities almost stands alone among the books by Dickens."
(front flap)
Subjects
British, City and town life, Classic Literature, CLASSICS, CONTEMPORARY FICTION, Drama, Executions and executioners, Fathers and daughters, Fiction, FICTION CLASSICS, French, Friendship, Historical fiction, History, Juvenile fiction, LANGUAGE & LITERARY STUDIES, Lookalikes, Loyalty, Open Library Staff Picks, open_syllabus_project, Political refugees, Revenge, Revolution, Revolution (France : 1789-1799), war stories, Revolution (France : 1789-1799) fast (OCoLC)fst01354514, Reading Level-Grade 7, Reading Level-Grade 9, Reading Level-Grade 8, Reading Level-Grade 11, Reading Level-Grade 10, Reading Level-Grade 12, Large type books, British and irish fiction (fictional works by one author), France, history, revolution, 1789-1799, fiction, London (england), fiction, Paris (france), fiction, Fathers and daughters, fiction, Fiction, historical, Children's fiction, London (england), history, fiction, Paris (france), history, fiction, Literature and fiction, historical fiction, Examinations, Study guides, French fiction, Fiction, historical, general, Comic books, strips, Graphic novels, English Romance fictionPeople
Jerry Cruncher, Lucie Manette, Ernest Defarge, Therese Defarge, Alexandre Manette, Mrs. Cruncher, Charles Darnay, John Barsad, Roger Cly, Mr. Stryver, Sydney Carton, Miss Pross, Monseigneur, Marquis St. Evrémonde, Gaspard, The Mender of Roads, The Vengeance, Théophile Gabelle, The SeamstressPlaces
England, France, London, London (England), Paris, Paris (France), Bastille PrisonShowing 14 featured editions. View all 547 editions?
| Edition | Availability |
|---|---|
01
|
bbbb
|
02
|
bbbb
|
03
|
cccc
Libraries near you:
WorldCat
|
04
|
bbbb
|
05
|
bbbb
|
06
双城记: A Tale of Two Cities
2009-06-01, San Qin chu ban she
Paperback
in Chinese
- 880-02 Di 1 ban.
7807366249 9787807366249
|
cccc
Libraries near you:
WorldCat
|
07
|
cccc
Libraries near you:
WorldCat
|
08
|
bbbb
|
09
A Tale of Two Cities
2005, ICON Classics
Paperback
in English
- Webster's Thesaurus Edition
0497010224 9780497010225
|
eeee
Libraries near you:
WorldCat
|
10
A Tale of Two Cities
1996, The Modern Library
Hardcover
in English
- 1996 Modern Library ed. (3)
0679602089 9780679602088
|
aaaa
Libraries near you:
WorldCat
|
11
|
cccc
Libraries near you:
WorldCat
|
12
|
bbbb
Libraries near you:
WorldCat
|
13
|
bbbb
Libraries near you:
WorldCat
|
14
|
bbbb
Libraries near you:
WorldCat
|
Book Details
Published in
New York, USA
Edition Notes
US/CAN
Classifications
External Links
The Physical Object
ID Numbers
Work Description
The storming of the Bastille...the death carts with their doomed human cargo...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 compassion, he casts his novel of unforgettable 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 girl who would never be his.
See also:
Excerpts
added by Lisa.
"first sentence"
Links outside Open Library
Community Reviews (0)
Feedback?
History
- Created April 1, 2008
- 26 revisions
| November 23, 2020 | Edited by MARC Bot | import existing book |
| October 10, 2020 | Edited by ImportBot | import existing book |
| August 4, 2020 | Edited by ImportBot | import existing book |
| February 19, 2020 | Edited by Lisa | Edited without comment. |
| April 1, 2008 | Created by an anonymous user | Imported from Scriblio MARC record. |