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 dungeonlike 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 - a marvelously energetic work bursting with scenes of brilliant color, luminous humor, and poignant social commentary.