The story of Oliver Twist - orphaned, and set upon by evil and adversity from his first breath - shocked readers when it was published. After running away from the workhouse and pompous beadle Mr Bumble, Oliver finds himself lured into a den of thieves peopled by vivid and memorable characters - the Artful Dodger, vicious burglar Bill Sikes, his dog Bull's Eye, and prostitute Nancy, all watched over by cunning master-thief Fagin. Combining elements...

Oliver Twist's life has been a hard and desperate one. With his mother dying during his birth, and having no idea who his father was, Oliver has spent his first nine years struggling to survive in a world that has little pity for a poor orphan such as him. After Oliver gets involved with the nefarious Fagin and the sinister Bill Sikes, he is wounded during a burglary. Oliver is rescued by Sikes's intended victims, the young Rose Maylie, and her guardian,...