28 h 55 minAudiobook14 minSummaryRead it, hear it, the 15-minute summary, and print and large print at cost
Audiobook edition · 28 h 55 minPaperback · 6 × 9 in · printing soonHardcover · 6 × 9 in · printing soonAbout this book
What happens when private fears feed a public fury that no one can control?
At the Maypole Inn near Epping Forest, Charles Dickens opens a slow-burning mystery of murder, family secrets and stubborn pride. Nearby, Mary Rudge tries to keep her trusting son Barnaby safe from a hidden past. Barnaby’s talking raven, Grip, brings sharp comedy to a world where danger gathers around the hearth and on the road.
Then the Gordon Riots sweep through London, and private troubles meet the force of an angry crowd. Religious suspicion gives fear and grievance a banner to follow. As Barnaby and the people around him face the turmoil, Dickens explores how ordinary frustrations turn into hatred—and what it takes to stand firm when others give way.
What you’ll discover
- A mystery by firelight Enter old inns and uneasy homes where an unsolved murder shadows the present.
- Barnaby and his raven Meet a gentle, trusting young man and Grip, his wonderfully sharp-tongued companion.
- Courage at the locksmith’s door Follow Gabriel Varden, a cheerful locksmith who tries to do right by everyone.
- Families full of secrets Discover fathers and sons divided by pride, ambition and truths left unspoken.
- The making of a mob Watch Dickens trace the frightening path from everyday resentment to uncontrolled public violence.
Who will love it
You will enjoy this if you love historical fiction with a crowded cast, comic figures like a pompous landlord and a talking raven, and ordinary people swept into great events.
What’s inside
The key ideas, in the 15-minute summary
- A ghost story at the Maypole starts everything
- A reckless rider and a locksmith cross paths
- A widow guards a secret and a gentle son
- Warm homes hide rivalries and wild ambitions
- A smiling gentleman plots to part two lovers
- A nervous lord and his secretary gather a following
- A quiet flight ends in the thick of the crowd
- The riots show how fear turns into hatred
- Parents and children shape every plot thread
- Comedy, symbols and a raven carry the story
Who’s who
- Barnaby RudgeA gentle, wild-haired young man who sees the world in his own way and loves his raven, his mother and the open sky.
- GripBarnaby's pet raven, a sharp-eyed talker who calls himself a devil, pulls imaginary corks and wants his tea.
- Mary RudgeBarnaby's mother, a respected widow who guards a painful secret and wants only to keep her son safe and happy.
- Gabriel VardenA stout, cheerful Clerkenwell locksmith who is brave, honest and kind to everyone, though ruled at home by his wife.
- Dolly VardenThe locksmith's pretty, teasing daughter, who is admired by many men and likes Joe Willet more than she says.
- Joe WilletThe Maypole landlord's strong young son, tired of being treated like a child and hopelessly in love with Dolly.
- HughThe wild stable hand of the Maypole, strong and sullen, with no family name and a hunger to strike back at the world.
- Sir John ChesterA polished, smiling gentleman with no money who wants his son Edward to marry a fortune and not the girl he loves.
Formats and delivery
- eBook
- On your phone, tablet or computer, once the book texts are online.
- Large-print eBook
- The same book in bigger, clearer type, once the book texts are online.
- Audiobook
- Read by Lucas Linden, complete. It opens once the recording is online.
- 15-minute summary
- The key ideas in about 14 minutes, to read today.
- Paperback
- 6 × 9 in. Printing soon: leave your email under Paperback or Hardcover above.
- Hardcover
- 6 × 9 in. Printing soon: leave your email under Paperback or Hardcover above.
- Large print paperback
- 8.5 × 11 in. Printing soon: leave your email under Paperback or Hardcover above.
- Large print hardcover
- 8.5 × 11 in. Printing soon: leave your email under Paperback or Hardcover above.
Every printed copy is made when you order it and shipped worldwide; shipping is shown at checkout. The eBook and the audiobook open when the book texts go online.
How it works
- Start free. Nothing to pay today; the eBook of this book is yours to keep.
- Read, listen and print. 200,000+ classics as eBook, large-print eBook, audiobook and 15-minute summary, and any book printed at cost as a paperback, hardcover or large print, 5 accounts for the price of one.
- We remind you first. Free for 3 months, and we email you 7 days before your first payment. Then 0,14 USD a day in your first year on the yearly plan and 0,27 USD a day after, or 0,66 USD a day on the monthly plan. Cancel online in two clicks.
Bought on its own? Every eBook, audiobook and printed book you buy without the plan carries our 30-day money-back guarantee.
Barnaby Rudge: un racconto delle sommosse dell’80
by Charles Dickens · 1841
A talking raven, a murder unsolved for twenty-two years and a mob marching on London in 1780 meet in one tale.
Challenging10–20 hours to readItaliano
Learn a language with challenging classicsSpagnoloFranceseTedescoItalianoGiapponesePortogheseIngleseHow we measure levels
Excellent
Free for 3 months · starts right away, on any device
Read free3 months free · cancel anytimeFree for 3 months, then 0,14 USD a dayCancel anytimeHow it works
- Read or listen
- Print and large print at cost
- 5 accounts for the price of one
In short
What would you do if a scarred stranger rode out of a stormy night, and a whole village still told the tale of a murder from twenty-two years before? That is how Barnaby Rudge opens, in an old inn called the Maypole in March 1775.
From the 15-minute summary · Key idea 1
A ghost story at the Maypole starts everything
The novel opens in March 1775 at the Maypole, an old inn twelve miles from London. Its landlord, John Willet, is a stout, stubborn man who thinks being slow makes him wise. His son Joe, a spirited young man of twenty, is still treated like a small boy.
Two strangers sit apart from the cronies at the fire. One is a young gentleman who means to walk to London because he is in love. The other is a rough man of sixty with a scar on his cheek. He asks pointed questions about the Warren, a red-brick mansion nearby, and Joe helps explain which house he means.
Free for 3 months · Cancel anytime
You looked at
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
- 1841
- Language
- Italiano
- Reading time
- 18 h 50 min
- Level
- Challenging
Cite this edition
Dickens, Charles. Barnaby Rudge: A Tale of the Riots of 'Eighty. Library of Alexandria, 2026, libraryofalexandria.com/products/barnaby-rudge-a-tale-of-the-riots-of-eighty.
Dickens, C. (2026). Barnaby Rudge: A tale of the riots of 'eighty. Library of Alexandria. https://libraryofalexandria.com/products/barnaby-rudge-a-tale-of-the-riots-of-eighty (Original work published 1841)
Dickens, Charles. Barnaby Rudge: A Tale of the Riots of 'Eighty. Library of Alexandria, 2026. https://libraryofalexandria.com/products/barnaby-rudge-a-tale-of-the-riots-of-eighty.
@book{dickens2026barnaby,
author = {Dickens, Charles},
title = {Barnaby Rudge: A Tale of the Riots of 'Eighty},
publisher = {Library of Alexandria},
year = {2026},
url = {https://libraryofalexandria.com/products/barnaby-rudge-a-tale-of-the-riots-of-eighty},
note = {First published 1841}
}
Free gifts
580 USD in free gifts when you start
Every book in every format and in 25 languages, 5 accounts for the price of one. Nothing to pay today.
- 200,000+ classic eBooksIn 25 languages, side by side
170 USDFREE - Every audiobookIn 25 languages, any device
120 USDFREE - 15-minute summariesRead or listen, in 25 languages
60 USDFREE - Print at cost, no markupPaperback, hardcover, large print
60 USDFREE - 5 accounts for the price of oneA shelf for everyone at home
170 USDFREE - A part in rebuilding the libraryNew languages and books for all
FREE
Questions about Barnaby Rudge: un racconto delle sommosse dell’80
Can I read it free?
Yes. The first key idea of the 15-minute summary is free with no sign-up. Start free and the whole book is yours for 3 months, with the eBook to keep, plus 200,000+ more classics and any book printed at cost as a paperback, hardcover or large print. Nothing to pay today: we email you 7 days before your first payment, and you can cancel online in two clicks.
Can I buy the printed book?
Soon. The paperback, hardcover and large print editions are being prepared. Choose Paperback or Hardcover above, leave your email, and we tell you the day you can order it, printed at cost.
How many accounts do I get?
Five, for the price of one: you and 4 more people, each with their own login, shelf and their own place in every book.
Can I cancel anytime?
Yes. Cancel online in two clicks at any time and nothing more is charged. Nothing is charged in your first 3 months, and we email you 7 days before your first payment.
What is Barnaby Rudge about?
It follows a gentle young man named Barnaby, his talking raven and the families around an English inn and a London locksmith's shop, as an old murder mystery meets the Gordon Riots of 1780.
Is Barnaby Rudge a true story?
The novel mixes fictional characters with historical figures in its account of the Gordon Riots in London in 1780. Dickens says in his preface that the main events are substantially accurate, and some details, such as Mary Jones's case, come from real records.
Who is Grip in Barnaby Rudge?
Grip is Barnaby's pet raven, a clever bird who calls himself a devil, imitates the sound of pulling corks and repeats phrases like never say die. Dickens based him on two ravens he once owned.
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
Vedi tutti i suoi libriMore like this
Our mission
The library burned once. We are building it back.
Every great book, in every language and every format, for every family. Every plan helps pay for new languages, new audiobooks and books for readers who have never had them. Join the movement.
Read our story- Every language25 languages today, side by side, and more every year
- No wastePrinted on demand: no warehouses, no unsold stock, no pulped copies
- For everyonePaperback, hardcover and large print at the cost of printing
