5 h 28 minAudiobook14 minSummaryRead it, hear it, the 15-minute summary, and print and large print at cost
Audiobook edition · 5 h 28 minPaperback · 6 × 9 in · printing soonHardcover · 6 × 9 in · printing soonAbout this book
Inside a lonely man's tall clock, papers wait for friends to gather and stories to begin.
Master Humphrey lives alone, watching London and keeping papers inside his clock. Then companions gather around it at midnight to share tales. In Charles Dickens's Master Humphrey's Clock, small sketches and short stories turn an isolated life toward friendship, with cheerful Jack Redburn among those who join the circle.
The collection also includes The Old Curiosity Shop and Barnaby Rudge, novels that grow from this storytelling project. Humphrey meets Nell lost in the night streets; another story turns toward England around 1780, riot, and history. Mr. Pickwick, Sam Weller, and Tony Weller bring familiar warmth and comedy to the clock's world.
What you’ll discover
- The clock's hidden papers Enter a curious gathering where a tall clock holds the papers friends share at night.
- Company after loneliness Follow Humphrey as his love of stories draws companions into his once solitary life.
- Visitors from Pickwick Papers Enjoy Mr. Pickwick's good heart, Sam Weller's quick wit, and Tony Weller's firm opinions.
- Nell in the night Discover how an encounter with a lost girl opens into The Old Curiosity Shop.
- History enters the circle Meet Barnaby Rudge and his talking raven, Grip, in a story of England and riot.
Who will love it
You will enjoy this if you like cozy fireside company, stories told within stories, Victorian London by lamplight, and the cheerful voices of Mr. Pickwick and the Wellers.
What’s inside
The key ideas, in the 15-minute summary
- A lonely man makes his clock a friend
- Four friends and six chairs make a society
- Giants come alive at night in Guildhall
- A confession shows how envy grows into crime
- Mr. Pickwick arrives and asks for a chair
- A brave young man stands watch at the gibbet
- Mr. Weller's Watch starts a kitchen club
- The heart of London beats under the frame
Who’s who
- Master HumphreyA crippled, kindly old man who lives alone with his beloved clock and gathers friends to share stories in his old London house.
- The deaf gentlemanHumphrey's dearest friend, a nameless, gentle man with a huge pipe, met in a tavern on Christmas Day.
- Jack RedburnHumphrey's cheerful librarian and secretary, a gifted drifter who learns every skill and itches to improve the clock.
- Mr. Owen MilesA careful retired merchant who admires Jack, distrusts mystery and wants to know everything about a newcomer.
- Mr. PickwickThe warm, spectacled gentleman who applies to join the society, proud of his legs and eager to bring in new friends.
- Sam WellerMr. Pickwick's loyal servant, a quick-witted storyteller who delights in teasing his father.
- Tony WellerSam's father, a stagecoach driver who dreads widows, despises railways and adores his grandson.
- Will MarksA daring young man in Mr. Pickwick's tale who agrees to watch alone at a gibbet for witches.
Formats and delivery
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- 15-minute summary
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- Large print hardcover
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Master Humphreys Uhr
by Charles Dickens · 1840
A lonely old man in London keeps stories inside a grandfather clock and invites Mr. Pickwick to join his circle.
Challenging5–10 hours to readDeutsch
Excellent
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In short
Imagine a crooked little man in an old London house, a carved clock ticking in the corner, and a fire that crackles at midnight. Once a week, four friends gather there, read stories aloud, and tuck the pages back into the clock case.
From the 15-minute summary · Key idea 1
A lonely man makes his clock a friend
Master Humphrey opens the book by telling readers they must never learn where he lives. He is a solitary old man in a shady suburb of London, in a house full of echoes and low, crooked beams. He wants to be known by his habits and his feelings and not by his address.
The street once feared him. People called him a spy, a conjurer, even a monster. Mothers snatched up their babies when he walked by. He answered with patience and kindness, and slowly the scowls turned into nods and curtsies.
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Which edition is right for me
- 15-minute summary
- The key ideas of the whole book in about 14 minutes. A good first look, or a refresher.
Details
- First published
- 1840
- Language
- Deutsch
- Reading time
- 3 h 30 min
- Level
- Challenging
Cite this edition
Dickens, Charles. Master Humphrey's Clock. Library of Alexandria, 2026, libraryofalexandria.com/products/master-humphreys-clock.
Dickens, C. (2026). Master Humphrey's clock. Library of Alexandria. https://libraryofalexandria.com/products/master-humphreys-clock (Original work published 1840)
Dickens, Charles. Master Humphrey's Clock. Library of Alexandria, 2026. https://libraryofalexandria.com/products/master-humphreys-clock.
@book{dickens2026master,
author = {Dickens, Charles},
title = {Master Humphrey's Clock},
publisher = {Library of Alexandria},
year = {2026},
url = {https://libraryofalexandria.com/products/master-humphreys-clock},
note = {First published 1840}
}
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What is Master Humphrey's Clock about?
It is a frame story about a kind old man in London whose clock case holds manuscripts. He and his friends read tales aloud each week, and the book mixes stories, comic scenes and reflections.
Who is Master Humphrey?
He is the old, crippled gentleman who tells the story and hosts the weekly club. He loves his clock, keeps his address secret, and finds company among friends and imagined shadows.
Do Mr. Pickwick and Sam Weller appear in this book?
Yes. Mr. Pickwick applies to join the society and shares a tale. Sam Weller and his father, Tony, bring much of the comedy, along with a kitchen club named Mr. Weller's Watch.
The author
Charles Dickens
1812–1870 · English novelist
Charles Dickens was an English novelist born in Portsmouth in 1812. He lived in London and later at Gad’s Hill Place in Kent, where he died in 1870. His books include The Pickwick Papers (1836–1837), A Christmas Carol (1843), David Copperfield (1849–1850), and Great Expectations (1860–1861).
More by Charles Dickens
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