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A G U I N E A PIG
OLIVER TWIST Or , the Parish Boy 's Progress A N A D A P TAT I O N O F T H E O R I G I N A L B Y
CH A R L E S DICK E NS
LON D ON B L O O M S B U R Y P U B L I S H I N G , B E D F O R D S Q UA R E . 2016
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C H A R AC T E R S & C A S T
Oliver Twist
Mr Brownlow
[ Oreo ]
Mr Bumble [ Sherlock ]
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[ Molly ]
Mr Sowerberry [ Mabel ]
Mister Noah Claypole [ Cookie ]
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The Artful Dodger [ Hermione]
Bill Sikes [ Millie ]
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Fagin [ Elsie]
Bull' s-eye
Monks [ Doris ]
Nancy [ Billie ]
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O
liver Twist was born an orphan of the workhouse and fell into his place at once – a parish child – the humble,
half-starved drudge – to be cuffed and buffeted through the
world, despised by all, and pitied by none.
[ 10 ]
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‘ We
name our foundlin’s in alphabetical order,’ said Mr Bumble, ‘ Please, sir, I want some more.’ the parish beadle. ‘ This was a T – Twist.’
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O
liver’ s eighth birthday found him a pale, thin boy.
Believing that meat made for a rebellious child, the
workhouse had a policy of gradual starvation, issuing the
children only three meals of thin gruel a-day, with an onion twice a week and half a roll on Sundays. One evening little Oliver, desperate with hunger and reckless with misery, rose from the table, basin and spoon in hand, and said —
[ 12 ]
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‘ Please, sir, I want some more.’
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T
he next morning a bill was hung from the workhouse gate, offering a reward of five pounds to anybody who
would take Oliver Twist off the hands of the parish.
[ 14 ]
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M
r Sowerberry the undertaker decided to take Oliver as his apprentice, but even he was surprised by the boy ’s
appearance. ‘ Dear me! he’ s very small,’ he said. ‘ Why,
he is rather small,’ replied Mr Bumble, looking at Oliver
as if it were his fault he wasn’ t bigger. ‘ Well,
come with me,’ said Mr Sowerberry, leading the way
to his funeral parlour.
[ 16 ]
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‘ You
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, sir, I want won’t‘mind Pleasesleeping with some the coffins more.,’ I suppose? ’
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CH A R L E S DIC K E NS was born in 1812 and became the most popular novelist of the Victorian era. A prolific writer, he published more than a dozen novels in his lifetime, including Oliver Twist, Great Expectations and Hard Times, most of which have been adapted many times over for radio, stage and screen.
T E S S N EWA L L was born in 1987 and when she is not sewing miniature tweed caps or paving tiny cobbled streets, she works as a freelance set designer on a variety of scales for fashion, film, events and window displays. She lives in London.
A L E X G O ODW I N was born in 1985 and has an MA in Creative Writing from the University of East Anglia, where he surprised his classmates with the news that his first book would feature guinea pigs in bonnets and top hats. He lives in London.
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The publishers would like to thank Pauline, Amanda and Sophia, as well as Charles, Caroline, Jane, Barbara and the National Forest Adventure Farm for their continuing comradeship and endless good cheer. Thanks also to the kindly carpenter, Alfred, for lending his skills to this project. A special thank you is due, as ever, to the mysterious Belmondo.
-0 Small pets are abandoned every day, but the lucky ones end up in rescue centres where they can be looked after and rehomed. You may not know it, but some of these centres are devoted entirely to guinea pigs. They work with welfare organizations to give first class advice and information, as well as finding loving new owners for the animals they look after. If little Oliver Twist has melted your heart over the course of his adventures, perhaps think of supporting your local rescue centre!
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Bloomsbury Publishing An imprint of Bloomsbury Publishing Plc 1385 Broadway New York N Y 10 018 US A
50 Bedford Square London WC 1 B 3 DP UK www.bloomsbury.com
BLO OM S BU R Y and the Diana logo are trademarks of Bloomsbury Publishing Plc First published in Great Britain 2016 Abridgement © Alex Goodwin 2016 Photography © Belmondo 2016 Map on pp. 6 – 7 © Royal Geographical Society, London, UK Alex Goodwin has asserted his right under the Copyright, Designs and Patents Act, 1988 to be identified as the author of this abridgement. No animals died, were harmed or were placed under undue stress during the production of this publication. The publishers can confirm that the animals involved were treated with respect and that their owners were present throughout all photography shoots. All rights reserved. No part of this publication may be reproduced or transmitted in any form or by any means, electronic or mechanical, including photocopying, recording, or any information storage or retrieval system, without prior permission in writing from the publishers. British Library Cataloguing-in-Publication Data A catalogue record for this book is available from the British Library. Library of Congress Cataloguing-in-Publication data has been applied for. I S BN U K : H B : 9 7 8 -1-4 08 8 -81 2 6-2 E P U B : 9 7 8 -1-4 08 8 -81 25 -5
I S BN US : H B : 9 7 8 - 1 - 63 2 86 - 7 08 - 7 E P U B : 9 7 8 - 1 - 63 2 86 - 7 09 - 4
2 4 6 8 10 9 7 5 3 1 Costume, props & illustration: Tess Newall
Photography & book design: Belmondo
Printed and bound in China by C&C Offset Printing Co., Ltd All papers used by Bloomsbury Publishing are natural, recyclable materials made from wood grown in well-managed forests. The manufacturing processes conform to the environmental regulations of the country of origin.
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