Master Humphrey's Clock

'Its very pulse, if I may use the word, was like no other clock. It did not mark the flight of every moment with a gentle second stroke, but measured it with one sledge-hammer beat, as if its business were to crush the seconds as they came trooping on…'

Originally published in instalments between 1840 and 1841, Master Humphrey's Clock was a weekly periodical tracing the life of Master Humphrey and his small circle of friends. It was the place in which future classics – such The Old Curiosity Shop and Barnaby Rudge, were born – cementing its place as one of Dickens's most important works.

Master Humphrey, an elderly man who lives by himself in London, decides one day to start a club dedicated to reading manuscripts. He and a few friends begin a ritual of reading their various tales aloud to each other, while sitting beside Humphrey's antique clock – an ever-present reminder of the passing of time. Including stories of mystery, adventure, love, tragedy and everything in between, Dicken's compellingly investigates themes of memory, fate and mortality. A clever comment on the act of storytelling in itself, Master Humphrey's Clock is an exemplary example of Dickens's genius. This audiobook is brilliantly narrated by Malk Williams. Charles Dickens (1812 – 1870) was an English writer and social critic. He is regarded by many as the greatest novelist of the Victorian era. His works enjoyed unprecedented popularity during his lifetime and, by the twentieth century, critics and scholars had recognized him as a literary genius. His novels and short stories are widely read, performed and adapted today.

© 2025 SNR Audio (Audiobook): 9781805366119

Release date

Audiobook: 3 July 2025