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Dombey and Son

Charles Dickens · Public domain text

354,010 words · about 24 h 47 min to read

Cover of Dombey and Son

Text only · 40 illustrations omitted. Illustrated source.

About this edition

The text of Dombey and Son comes from Project Gutenberg e-text #821. It is in English and public domain in the United States. Project Gutenberg’s header and license text are removed, and RedLectern sets the text out for reading on screen; no words of the book are rewritten or summarized. More formats (EPUB, Kindle) · How RedLectern is built

This text-only edition leaves out 40 illustrations. See the illustrated edition at Project Gutenberg.

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About this book

Cover of Dombey and Son

From Wikipedia

Dombey and Son is a novel by English author Charles Dickens. It follows the fortunes of a shipping firm owner, who is frustrated at the lack of a son to follow him in his footsteps; he initially rejects his daughter's love before eventually becoming reconciled with her.

Excerpt from the Wikipedia article “Dombey and Son” (revision 1370937705), licensed CC BY-SA 4.0. Not written by RedLectern.

Author
Charles Dickens (1812–1870)
Language
English
Subjects
England › Fiction, Dysfunctional families › Fiction, Domestic fiction, Fathers and daughters › Fiction, Businesspeople › Fiction, Family-owned business enterprises › Fiction
Length
354,010 words · about 24 h 47 min
Sections
63 reader sections · Table of contents
Contents (63)
  1. Opening under 1 min
  2. I. Dombey and Son about 20 min
  3. II. In which Timely Provision is made for an Emergency that will sometimes arise in the best-regulated Families about 20 min
  4. III. In which Mr Dombey, as a Man and a Father, is seen at the Head of the Home-Department about 20 min
  5. IV. In which some more First Appearances are made on the Stage of these Adventures about 20 min
  6. V. Paul’s Progress and Christening about 32 min
  7. VI. Paul’s Second Deprivation about 36 min
  8. VII. A Bird’s-eye Glimpse of Miss Tox’s Dwelling-place: also of the State of Miss Tox’s Affections about 10 min
  9. VIII. Paul’s Further Progress, Growth and Character about 37 min
  10. IX. In which the Wooden Midshipman gets into Trouble about 23 min
  11. X. Containing the Sequel of the Midshipman’s Disaster about 23 min
  12. XI. Paul’s Introduction to a New Scene about 25 min
  13. XII. Paul’s Education about 32 min
  14. XIII. Shipping Intelligence and Office Business about 22 min
  15. XIV. Paul grows more and more Old-fashioned, and goes Home for the Holidays about 43 min
  16. XV. Amazing Artfulness of Captain Cuttle, and a new Pursuit for Walter Gay about 26 min
  17. XVI. What the Waves were always saying about 9 min
  18. XVII. Captain Cuttle does a little Business for the Young People about 19 min
  19. XVIII. Father and Daughter about 33 min
  20. XIX. Walter goes away about 23 min
  21. XX. Mr Dombey goes upon a Journey about 26 min
  22. XXI. New Faces about 18 min
  23. XXII. A Trifle of Management by Mr Carker the Manager about 34 min
  24. XXIII. Florence solitary, and the Midshipman mysterious about 39 min
  25. XXIV. The Study of a Loving Heart about 20 min
  26. XXV. Strange News of Uncle Sol about 16 min
  27. XXVI. Shadows of the Past and Future about 26 min
  28. XXVII. Deeper Shadows about 29 min
  29. XXVIII. Alterations about 18 min
  30. XXIX. The Opening of the Eyes of Mrs Chick about 20 min
  31. XXX. The interval before the Marriage about 26 min
  32. XXXI. The Wedding about 29 min
  33. XXXII. The Wooden Midshipman goes to Pieces about 31 min
  34. XXXIII. Contrasts about 22 min
  35. XXXIV. Another Mother and Daughter about 20 min
  36. XXXV. The Happy Pair about 21 min
  37. XXXVI. Housewarming about 20 min
  38. XXXVII. More Warnings than One about 19 min
  39. XXXVIII. Miss Tox improves an Old Acquaintance about 16 min
  40. XXXIX. Further Adventures of Captain Edward Cuttle, Mariner about 30 min
  41. XL. Domestic Relations about 28 min
  42. XLI. New Voices in the Waves about 18 min
  43. XLII. Confidential and Accidental about 27 min
  44. XLIII. The Watches of the Night about 16 min
  45. XLIV. A Separation about 18 min
  46. XLV. The Trusty Agent about 15 min
  47. XLVI. Recognizant and Reflective about 22 min
  48. XLVII. The Thunderbolt about 36 min
  49. XLVIII. The Flight of Florence about 20 min
  50. XLIX. The Midshipman makes a Discovery about 30 min
  51. L. Mr Toots’s Complaint about 30 min
  52. LI. Mr Dombey and the World about 14 min
  53. LII. Secret Intelligence about 25 min
  54. LIII. More Intelligence about 28 min
  55. LIV. The Fugitives about 19 min
  56. LV. Rob the Grinder loses his Place about 21 min
  57. LVI. Several People delighted, and the Game Chicken disgusted about 40 min
  58. LVII. Another Wedding about 14 min
  59. LVIII. After a Lapse about 27 min
  60. LIX. Retribution about 34 min
  61. LX. Chiefly Matrimonial about 21 min
  62. LXI. Relenting about 22 min
  63. LXII. Final about 12 min

The opening of I. Dombey and Son

Dombey sat in the corner of the darkened room in the great arm-chair by the bedside, and Son lay tucked up warm in a little basket bedstead, carefully disposed on a low settee immediately in front of the fire and close to it, as if his constitution were analogous to that of a muffin, and it was essential to toast him brown while he was very new.

Dombey was about eight-and-forty years of age. Son about eight-and-forty minutes. Dombey was rather bald, rather red, and though a handsome well-made man, too stern and pompous in appearance, to be prepossessing. Son was very bald, and very red, and though (of course) an undeniably fine infant, somewhat crushed and spotty in his general effect, as yet.

Read on in Part 1 →