In February Dickens will turn 200. A tidal wave of celebrations approaches. But the fuss is justified—he is second only to Shakespeare in our literary heritage

In the first of a new series, leading thinkers recommend five books about their field of interest. This month, the theme is “equality"

Dickens founded a tradition of ghostly Christmas stories that's still alive and well on our TV screens. Just don't let Jonathan Creek anywhere near it

The short story emerged in a blitzkrieg of 19th-century magazine publishing, reached its apotheosis with Chekhov, and became one of the great 20th-century art forms. William Boyd reveals his taxonomy of the short story, and assesses the state of the…

Jeremy Clarke confesses a blind spot for Dickens and a love of playing Pat the Balloon