An assemblage of extracts from the complete works of Charles Dickens, including his speeches. The volume reflects the editor's effort to include every notable/quotable passage or short comment by Dickens on a subject which interested the great author. It contains over 860,000 words, and there are over 50 illustrations. Included are 27 extended extracts, largely from the fictional works, which capture the greatest scenes in the oeuvre, including the trial of Bardell v. Pickwick, Ralph Nickleby's frustration and suicide, Jonas Chuzzlewit's murder of Tigg Montague and its aftermath, and Mr. Micawber's demolishment of Uriah Heep.

This reference has over 405 topic captions, or subject headings, organized in 15 chapters: Ages of Man; Body; Mind; Letters and Communication; Spirit, and Moral Qualities; Fellow Man, in Relation; Humankind, in Activity; Three Professions (clerical, legal, and medical); Industry and Government; London; The Rest of the World; Transportation and Travel; Nature, Charles Dickens Self-Revealed; and First and Last Things. Each chapter is provided with a table of contents which constitutes a detailed, fully paginated index of captions and sub-captions, showing the source for each item. In addition, there are exhaustive indexes of Words and Phrases and Localities. This is a companion volume to ^IEveryone in Dickens^R, Volumes I, II, and III.