Charles Dickens, Barnaby Rudge

Suppose you start to read Dickens with Oliver Twist, Bleak House, and Great Expectations, because you know the plots from films or the telly. You expect this will make your introduction to his books easier, and you'll be right. You'll probably love such books, and so embark on the rest of Dickens. When you get to a book like Barnaby Rudge, well down your list as you know little about it, it will probably come as a disappointment, at least in part. This would be a great shame. Its much better to start at the beginning, with Pickwick Papers, and to read your way through in the order he wrote them, just as the Victorians did. Then you get the thrill of reading each good one, the lesser known books will still be worth it, and you get the sense of Dickens growth from an excellent writer to an exceptional one.