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Cover of The Pickwick Papers by Charles DickensThe Pickwick Papers
Classic · Fiction, Humor

The Pickwick Papers

by Charles Dickens
1837 · 824 pages · Fiction
55.3Must-Read
Score Classic
Critics' pick · Lifetime bestseller
≈ 21 hours to read · about 6 weeks at 30 minutes a day

What it's about

The misadventures of the members of the Pickwick Club as they travel all over England by coach, recording the quaint and curious customs they find.

Why it's worth reading

It's on the BBC's Big Read and the Guardian's list of 1,000 novels everyone must read. It's Dickens's first novel, and a comedy.

You'll love it if you liked

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Good to know

It was first published as a serial, so it's episodic.

By the numbers

55.3Must-Read Score
  • Readers8 out of 100 · counts 42%
  • Critics30 out of 100 · counts 14%
  • Bestseller30 out of 100 · counts 34% (its stronger lane)
  • Buzz0 out of 100 · counts 10%

Critics and Bestseller are two ways to earn a place: a book's stronger one counts more. Buzz rewards recent bestseller weeks and prizes, so older books start at zero. The parts combine into the Must-Read Score, shown on a scale where the best book we found scores 99 and the last book to make the ranking scores 50.

Where it ranks

Why it made the list

On the lists
BBC's The Big ReadGuardian 1000 Novels Everyone Must Read

Reads as

Funny, Uplifting

How we rank

Already read it? Upload your Goodreads or StoryGraph history and get the 50 best books you haven't read, tuned to your taste.Get my 50

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Explore the best-of lists

All 47 best-of lists →
Humor booksTop 25 · 37 rankedClassic booksTop 25 · 924 rankedFantasy booksTop 25 · 504 rankedMysteries and thrillersTop 25 · 623 rankedLiterary novelsTop 25 · 325 rankedPulitzer Prize-winning novelsTop 25 · 63 rankedMemoirs and biographiesTop 25 · 290 rankedScience fiction booksTop 25 · 333 ranked

Quick answers

Is The Pickwick Papers worth reading?

Yes. It's on the BBC's Big Read and the Guardian's list of 1,000 novels everyone must read. It ranks #2,904 of the 3,056 books in our ranking, with a Must-Read Score of 55.3 (the best book we found scores 99).

What is The Pickwick Papers about?

The misadventures of the members of the Pickwick Club as they travel all over England by coach, recording the quaint and curious customs they find.

How long does it take to read The Pickwick Papers?

About 21 hours (824 pages), or about 6 weeks at 30 minutes a day.

What should I read after The Pickwick Papers?

If you liked it, try David Copperfield by Charles Dickens, Martin Chuzzlewit by Charles Dickens or The Code of the Woosters by PG Wodehouse.