This book recovers the fiction of Charles Reade, who was among the best-known authors of the sensation fiction of the 1860s, as a body of work that anticipates recent trends in literary and cultural theory.

This edition contains the three most important works of Charles Reade (1814-1884). Reade adapted the social purpose and concern for detail of the realistic novel to the stage. He was much concerned with poverty, the brutality of the prison regime of his time and the abuse of mental asylums. He assigned a specially important role to women in his plays, choosing to write for the charismatic actresses of his day. Masks and Faces (1852) is concerned with the public image and private life of a leading Covent Garden actress; The Courier of Lyons (1854) is based upon a real case of mistaken identity; and It Is Never Too Late to Mend (1865) describes the legal and financial oppression of poor English farming folk. All these plays were very popular and successful, performed and revived many times. Dr Hammet provides alongside them an informative introduction, notes on the text, a short biography of Reade, a full list of his plays and productions, and a bibliography.

Although famed for his meticulously researched medieval masterpiece 'The Cloister and the Hearth', Charles Reade also penned some of the Victorian era’s most gripping sensation novels, creating controversial works that strove to end social evils and fight injustice. This comprehensive eBook presents the complete works of Charles Reade, with numerous illustrations, rare texts appearing in digital print for the first time, informative introductions and the usual Delphi bonus material. (Version 1) * Beautifully illustrated with images relating to Reade's life and works * Concise introductions to the novels and other texts * ALL 15 novels, with individual contents tables * Images of how the books were first printed, giving your eReader a taste of the original texts * Excellent formatting of the texts * Famous works such as THE CLOISTER AND THE HEARTH are fully illustrated with their original artwork * Rare story collections and plays appearing here for the first time in digital print * Special chronological and alphabetical contents tables for the short stories * Easily locate the short stories you want to read * Includes Reade's non-fiction seminal work on copyright: THE EIGHTH COMMANDMENT – available no where else * Special criticism section, with five essays evaluating Reade’s contribution to literature * Features two biographies, including the seminal memoir compiled by Reade’s family - discover Reade's literary life * Scholarly ordering of texts into chronological order and literary genres Please visit www.delphiclassics.com to browse through our range of exciting titles CONTENTS: The Novels PEG WOFFINGTON CHRISTIE JOHNSTONE IT IS NEVER TOO LATE TO MEND WHITE LIES ‘LOVE ME LITTLE LOVE ME LONG.’ THE CLOISTER AND THE HEARTH VERY HARD CASH GRIFFITH GAUNT FOUL PLAY PUT YOURSELF IN HIS PLACE A TERRIBLE TEMPTATION A SIMPLETON THE WANDERING HEIR A WOMAN HATER A PERILOUS SECRET The Tales THE COURSE OF TRUE LOVE NEVER DID RUN SMOOTH THE BOX TUNNEL CREAM A GOOD FIGHT SINGLE HEART AND DOUBLE FACE GOOD STORIES OF MAN AND OTHER ANIMALS THE JILT AND OTHER STORIES The Short Stories LIST OF SHORT STORIES IN CHRONOLOGICAL ORDER LIST OF SHORT STORIES IN ALPHABETICAL ORDER The Plays THE COURIER OF LYONS MASKS AND FACES TWO LOVES AND A LIFE IT’S NEVER TOO LATE TO MEND The Non-Fiction THE EIGHTH COMMANDMENT TRADE MALICE A HERO AND A MARTYR The Criticism DICKENS, READE, AND COLLINS: SENSATION NOVELISTS by Walter C. Phillips CHARLES READE by Sir Arthur Thomas Quiller-Couch CHARLES READE by William Dean Howells CHARLES READE by David Christie Murray LETTERS AND REMINISCENCES OF CHARLES READE by Kinahan Cornwallis The Biographies CHARLES READE: DRAMATIST, NOVELIST, JOURNALIST CHARLES READE AS I KNEW HIM by John Coleman Please visit www.delphiclassics.com to browse through our range of exciting titles