38 h 25 minAudiobook14 minSummaryRead it, hear it, the 15-minute summary, and print and large print at cost
Audiobook edition · 38 h 25 minPaperback · 6 × 9 in · printing soonHardcover · 6 × 9 in · printing soonAbout this book
In a family circling a rich old man, how can anyone tell love from greed?
Charles Dickens fills Martin Chuzzlewit with relatives who want money and a rich old man who doubts their love. Young Martin loves Mary Graham, but his grandfather refuses to accept his choice and sends him away with nothing. Proud and determined to make his fortune, Martin turns to Seth Pecksniff, an architect whose fine talk of virtue hides a hunger for advantage.
Martin heads for America with Mark Tapley, a cheerful companion eager to test his good spirits against real hardship. Back in England, gentle Tom Pinch puts his trust in Pecksniff, while Jonas Chuzzlewit grows impatient for his father's money. Across these tangled lives, Dickens explores selfishness through social comedy, fraud, family quarrels, and people who dress greed in respectable clothes.
What you’ll discover
- Kind words, grasping hands Watch Pecksniff preach goodness while taking money, credit, and whatever advantage comes within reach.
- Cheer against the odds Meet Mark Tapley, who seeks hardship worthy of his stubborn determination to stay jolly.
- Trust under pressure Follow Tom Pinch's loyalty as signs of Pecksniff's falseness gather around him.
- Comedy with a sharp edge Encounter Mrs Gamp, a talkative, drinking nurse who often quotes her imaginary friend.
- A hard look inward Explore the question beneath Martin's ambitions: can he stop thinking only of himself?
Who will love it
This suits readers who love comic characters, sharp social satire and big sprawling plots. It also suits anyone curious about Dickens's views on greed, hypocrisy and kindness.
What’s inside
The key ideas, in the 15-minute summary
- A fortune draws a family near
- Pecksniff makes a business of virtue
- Concern conceals hopes of an inheritance
- Greed begins with lessons at home
- Young Martin carries his pride abroad
- Fine promises hide an unseen risk
- Caring for Mark changes Martin
- Small kindnesses stand against grand pretences
- What people learn shapes their character
Who’s who
- Seth PecksniffA smooth architect who preaches virtue and collects fees, and who is eager to place himself first in a rich cousin's will.
- Martin Chuzzlewit the youngerA proud, clever young man who defies his grandfather for love and has to learn how much he depends on others.
- Old Martin ChuzzlewitA wealthy, suspicious old man who distrusts every relative and tests the people who gather around him.
- Tom PinchPecksniff's gentle, short-sighted assistant, who plays the church organ for nothing and trusts his employer without question.
- Mark TapleyA cheerful innkeeper's man who wants to find a hard place to prove his good spirits real, and follows Martin abroad.
- Mary GrahamA young woman who nurses the old man and loves young Martin, and who keeps her dignity under pressure.
- Jonas ChuzzlewitA coarse, calculating young man raised to put gain first, who looks for ways to cheat everyone he meets.
- Sarah GampA talkative, tippling nurse who speaks often of her friend Mrs Harris and is always ready with advice.
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Martin Chuzzlewit
by Charles Dickens · 1844
A smiling architect schemes for a rich old relative's fortune while his proud pupil sails to America.
ChallengingOver 20 hours to read2 languages
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In short
What happens when a whole family circles one old man's money? A rich, suspicious grandfather lies ill at a country inn, and every relative with a hopeful smile begins to gather.
Martin Chuzzlewit at a glance
- Reading time
- About 21 h 55 min17 h 25 min fast, 26 h 5 min slow
- Length
- 312,900 words
- Library level
- Challenging long sentences, a rich vocabulary
- First published
- 1844by Charles Dickens
Reading time at 238 words a minute (fast 300, slow 200). How long the classics take to read · Updated
From the 15-minute summary · Key idea 1
Pecksniff wears virtue like a good coat
The novel begins with a joke. Dickens opens with a mock history that proves the Chuzzlewit family is ancient and grand. The proofs are absurd. This is a family that boasts about its pedigree and says nothing about its character.
Then the story settles in a Wiltshire village on a windy autumn night. The wind blows Mr Pecksniff off his own front steps. His two daughters, Charity and Mercy, fuss over him with a candle and a plate of ham and eggs. Their names are a joke, since Charity is sharp and calculating, while Mercy is giddy and fond of mischief.
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- 15-minute summary
- The key ideas of the whole book in about 14 minutes. A good first look, or a refresher.
Details
- First published
- 1844
- Language
- English
- Reading time
- 25 h 0 min
- Level
- Challenging
Cite this edition
Dickens, Charles. Martin Chuzzlewit. Library of Alexandria, 2026, libraryofalexandria.com/products/martin-chuzzlewit.
Dickens, C. (2026). Martin Chuzzlewit. Library of Alexandria. https://libraryofalexandria.com/products/martin-chuzzlewit (Original work published 1844)
Dickens, Charles. Martin Chuzzlewit. Library of Alexandria, 2026. https://libraryofalexandria.com/products/martin-chuzzlewit.
@book{dickens2026martin,
author = {Dickens, Charles},
title = {Martin Chuzzlewit},
publisher = {Library of Alexandria},
year = {2026},
url = {https://libraryofalexandria.com/products/martin-chuzzlewit},
note = {First published 1844}
}
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What is Martin Chuzzlewit about?
It follows a greedy family waiting for a rich old man's money. Young Martin, the old man's grandson, defies him, travels to America, and has to learn humility, while the hypocrite Pecksniff schemes at home.
Who is Mr Pecksniff?
He is an architect who preaches goodness while cheating his pupils and chasing a rich relative's fortune. His name has become a word for a smooth hypocrite who hides selfishness behind moral speeches.
Is Martin Chuzzlewit based on real events?
It is fiction, published in monthly parts in the 1840s. The Watertoast proceedings paraphrase real newspaper reports, as Dickens says in his preface, and the American scenes also reflect his impressions as a traveler.
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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