The Legendary Nonesuch Dickens, issued in the 1930s, presented the writing of the foremost English novelist in its most distinguished format. Upon its original publication, the set was hailed as "one of the most glorious publishing achievements of our time." Now the peerless Nonesuch standards have been revived in new editions of Dickens's most beloved works, introducing a new generation of readers to these masterpieces of literature, illustration and book design.<BR><BR>Launched in 1937, the twenty-four volume Nonesuch Dickens was the most complete and handsome collection of the novelist's work ever created. Seven decades later, we are proud to publish these volumes produced to the specifications of the original Nonesuch design. Employing modern printing technology, each book in the revived Nonesuch Dickens replicates the enduring editorial and design excellence of its inspiration at an affordable price.<BR><BR>Published in 1841, The Old Curiosity Shop tells the story of Little Nell, the shop's innocent young inhabitant, raised by her loving grandfather. The actions of the malevolent Qui1p see the pair cast out of their home, falling into debt, and pitilessly pursued. The plot draws on Dickens's own painful childhood experience of family poverty, and is by turns comic and frightening. This Nonesuch edition presents the author's final text and the illustrations Dickens himself selected to complement his words.<BR><BR>The Nonesuch Press was founded in London by Francis Meynell in 1923. Applying the refinement and expertise of the private press aesthetic to commercial publishing, Nonesuch books were among the most elegant and treasured volumes produced in the first half of the twentieth century. The fabled Nonesuch Dickens was the Press's most ambitious project, treasured for both its quality and its rarity: only 877 twenty-four volume sets were issued, and complete original sets have sold recently at auction for more than ú16,500.