"Once upon a time, and of course it was in the Golden Age, and I hope you may know when that was, for I am sure I don't, though I have tried hard to find out, there lived in a rich and fertile country, a powerful Prince whose name was Bull." Bull is one of the many characters you will meet in this wonderful Charles Dickens collection of sketches and short stories. The anthology includes sad must-reads like A Child's Dream of a Star and amusing satirical pieces like A Monument of French Folly. The stories originally appeared in his journal Household Words. Charles Dickens (1812-1870) was an English author, social critic, and philanthropist. Much of his writing first appeared in small instalments in magazines and was widely popular. Among his most famous novels are Oliver Twist (1839), David Copperfield (1850), and Great Expectations (1861).