The Brontes; Charles Dickens

These titles have competent, well-produced background texts which set the writers clearly in their historical context before looking at the major works. In Dickens , the Industrial Revolution, the squalor of the slums and the desperate conditions in schools are all dealt with concisely but clearly and the influence on his work explained. Similarly in The Brontës there is useful material on women’s role in society. Modern photos, contemporary pictures and ephemera and stills from cinema and TV adaptations are well chosen and help to make these highly approachable books for secondary use.

There is a rather perfunctory index and a useful time line with the writers’ lives set against important historical events.