The most gorgeously theatrical of all Dickens's novels, Nicholas Nickleby mingles the somber world of Oliver Twist with the sunlit spectacle of The Pickwick Papers.In a delightful series of adventures, Nicholas, the hearty young hero, takes us on a journey through nineteenth-century England accompanied by some of Dickens's best swaggering scoundrels and most unforgettable eccentrics. From the dungeon-like Yorkshire boys' boarding school run by the cruel Wackford Squeers to the high-spirited stage of Vincent Crummles's extraordinary acting troupe, Nicholas Nickleby is a triumph of the imagination and a marvelously energetic work bursting with scenes of brilliant color, luminous humor, and poignant social commentary.