Review of The Old Curiosity Shop by Edgar Allan Poe

What it is

This is a review written by the American writer Edgar Allan Poe in 1841, discussing Charles Dickens's novel The Old Curiosity Shop, published with illustrations by George Cattermole and Hablot Browne.

Why it matters

The review shows how Dickens's work was received by other writers of his time, including criticism of the book's structure and the publisher's choices around its title. It is valuable because it offers a contemporary, professional literary judgment from one major writer about another, rather than a modern assessment.

Look closer

• What specific criticisms does Poe make about the way the book was published and titled?
• Why might Poe have cared about the