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The Pickwick Papers

by Charles Dickens (1812–1870)

  • Free to read
  • 20 hours to read
  • 36 chapters
  • Reading level: 7th grade

"The Pickwick Papers" by Charles Dickens is a novel serialized from March 1836 to November 1837. It follows the kindly gentleman Samuel Pickwick and three companions as they journey through the English countryside, reporting their adventures to their club. Their travels lead to comic misadventures, colorful characters like the clever servant Sam Weller and the charlatan Alfred Jingle, and an infamous legal case that lands Pickwick in debtors' prison. This publishing phenomenon popularized serialized fiction and defined modern entertainment.

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  • Humorous stories
  • England
  • Men · Societies and clubs
  • Male friendship

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Chapter I: The Pickwickians

The first ray of light which illumines the gloom, and converts into a dazzling brilliancy that obscurity in which the earlier history of the public career of the immortal Pickwick would appear to be involved, is derived from the perusal of the following entry in the Transactions of the Pickwick Club, which the editor of these papers feels the highest pleasure in laying before his readers, as a proof of the careful attention, indefatigable assiduity, and nice discrimination, with which his search among the multifarious documents confided to him has been conducted.

‘May 12, 1827. Joseph Smiggers, Esq., P.V.P.M.P.C. [Perpetual Vice- President—Member Pickwick Club], presiding. The following resolutions unanimously agreed to:—

‘That this Association has heard read, with feelings of unmingled satisfaction, and unqualified approval, the paper communicated by Samuel Pickwick, Esq., G.C.M.P.C. [General Chairman—Member Pickwick Club], entitled “Speculations on the Source of the Hampstead Ponds, with some Observations on the Theory of Tittlebats;” and that this Association does hereby return its warmest thanks to the said Samuel Pickwick, Esq., G.C.M.P.C., for the same.

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Contents

Show all 36 chapters
  1. Front Matter
  2. Chapter I: The Pickwickians
  3. Chapter II: The First Day’s Journey, and the First Evening’s Adventures: With Their Consequences
  4. Chapter III: A New Acquaintance — The Stroller’s Tale — A Disagreeable: Interruption, and an Unpleasant Encounter
  5. Chapter IV: A Field Day and Bivouac — More New Friends — An Invitation to: The Country
  6. Chapter V: A Short One — Showing, Among Other Matters, How Mr. Pickwick: Undertook to Drive, and Mr. Winkle to Ride, and How They Both Did It
  7. Chapter VI: An Old-Fashioned Card-Party — The Clergyman’s Verses — The: Story of the Convict’s Return
  8. Chapter VIII: Strongly Illustrative of the Position, That the Course of: True Love Is Not a Railway
  9. Chapter IX: A Discovery and a Chase
  10. Chapter X: Clearing Up All Doubts (If Any Existed) of the: Disinterestedness of Mr. A. Jingle’s Character
  11. Chapter XII: Descriptive of a Very Important Proceeding on the Part of: Mr. Pickwick; No Less an Epoch in His Life, Than in This History
  12. Chapter XIV: Comprising a Brief Description of the Company at the: Peacock Assembled; and a Tale Told by a Bagman
  13. Chapter XVI: Too Full of Adventure to Be Briefly Described
  14. Chapter XVII: Showing That an Attack of Rheumatism, in Some Cases, Acts: As a Quickener to Inventive Genius
  15. Chapter XVIII: Briefly Illustrative of Two Points; First, the Power of: Hysterics, and, Secondly, the Force of Circumstances
  16. Chapter XIX: A Pleasant Day with an Unpleasant Termination
  17. Chapter XXI: In Which the Old Man Launches Forth into His Favourite: Theme, and Relates a Story About a Queer Client
  18. Chapter XXII: Mr. Pickwick Journeys to Ipswich and Meets with a Romantic: Adventure with a Middle-Aged Lady in Yellow Curl-Papers
  19. Chapter XXIII: In Which Mr. Samuel Weller Begins to Devote His Energies: To the Return Match Between Himself and Mr. Trotter
  20. Chapter XXVI: Which Contains a Brief Account of the Progress of the: Action of Bardell Against Pickwick
  21. Chapter XXVII: Samuel Weller Makes a Pilgrimage to Dorking, and Beholds: His Mother-in-Law
  22. Chapter XXIX: The Story of the Goblins Who Stole a Sexton
  23. Chapter XXXI: Which Is All About the Law, and Sundry Great Authorities: Learned Therein
  24. Chapter XXXIV: Is Wholly Devoted to a Full and Faithful Report of the: Memorable Trial of Bardell Against Pickwick
  25. Chapter XXXV: In Which Mr. Pickwick Thinks He Had Better Go to Bath; and: Goes Accordingly
  26. Chapter XXXVIII: How Mr. Winkle, When He Stepped Out of the Frying-Pan: Walked Gently and Comfortably into the Fire
  27. Chapter XXXIX: Mr. Samuel Weller, Being Intrusted with a Mission of: Love, Proceeds to Execute It; with What Success Will Hereinafter Appear
  28. Chapter XL: Introduces Mr. Pickwick to a New and Not Uninteresting Scene: In the Great Drama of Life
  29. Chapter XLI: What Befell Mr. Pickwick When He Got into the Fleet; What: Prisoners He Saw There, and How He Passed the Night
  30. Chapter XLIII: Showing How Mr. Samuel Weller Got into Difficulties
  31. Chapter XLVI: Records a Touching Act of Delicate Feeling, Not Unmixed: With Pleasantry, Achieved and Performed by Messrs. Dodson and Fogg
  32. Chapter XLIX: Containing the Story of the Bagman’s Uncle
  33. Chapter L: How Mr. Pickwick Sped Upon His Mission, and How He Was: Reinforced in the Outset by a Most Unexpected Auxiliary
  34. Chapter LII: Involving a Serious Change in the Weller Family, and the: Untimely Downfall of Mr. Stiggins
  35. Chapter LV: Mr. Solomon Pell, Assisted by a Select Committee of: Coachmen, Arranges the Affairs of the Elder Mr. Weller
  36. Chapter LVII: In Which the Pickwick Club Is Finally Dissolved, and: Everything Concluded to the Satisfaction of Everybody

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About this edition

This free edition of The Pickwick Papers by Charles Dickens comes from Project Gutenberg eBook #580, released 1996-07-01. It is in the public domain in the United States, so you can read it here in full at no cost, on any phone, tablet or computer. Genre: Humour, Novels, Classics of Literature, British Literature.

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