--- title: "Bleak House by Charles Dickens — Classic Ebook | Publica Now" description: "Read a free sample of Bleak House by Charles Dickens at Publica Now — a public-domain classic ebook, readable online." canonical: "https://publica.now/creators/vito/works/bleak-house" --- Literary # Bleak House by Charles Dickens [ V Vito ](https://publica.now/creators/vito) Follow $2.99 [ Sign in to buy ](https://publica.now/access?redirect=%2Fcheckout%2Fbleak-house) Secure payment on Stripe. publica.now never sees your card. Share Link copied Format epub Published May 02, 2026 Rating No reviews yet ![Bleak House](https://fls-a13cb2d7-1b3e-4883-a0bd-297afd110a11.367be3a2035528943240074d0096e0cd.r2.cloudflarestorage.com/works/01kqn14mc3bgkvdscn02t5jwmv/editions/2026-09-06-html-v1/cover.png?X-Amz-Content-Sha256=UNSIGNED-PAYLOAD&X-Amz-Algorithm=AWS4-HMAC-SHA256&X-Amz-Credential=d29ce3bb571c165c97a702f29f7aee93%2F20260925%2Fauto%2Fs3%2Faws4_request&X-Amz-Date=20260925T015011Z&X-Amz-SignedHeaders=host&X-Amz-Expires=3600&X-Amz-Signature=3dc08b741f71c0f2517b5a053fb078a8d2b5933564f36209b0fc9c5e9cafaf77) ## About this work Fog hangs over London, and in the Court of Chancery the case of Jarndyce and Jarndyce drifts endlessly onward, consuming fortunes, hopes, and lives. Around this legal labyrinth move Esther Summerson, whose steady voice guides us through a world of secrets and responsibilities; the guarded Lady Dedlock at Chesney Wold; Richard, drawn toward a golden prospect; Ada, full of affection and hope; and Jo, an orphan boy surviving on the city’s margins. Lawyers, detectives, philanthropists, servants, social climbers, and the poor all pass through Dickens’s crowded panorama, each revealing something about the society they inhabit. From rain-soaked Lincolnshire to the streets and chambers of London, Bleak House combines suspense, satire, tenderness, and moral force. Its atmosphere is dark, its cast unforgettable, and its questions about law, class, family, and responsibility remain compelling. This Publica.now Classics edition includes a new typographic cover and publisher opening and closing pages. Sample ## Take a look inside BLEAK HOUSE by Charles Dickens CONTENTS Preface I. In Chancery II. In Fashion III. A Progress IV. Telescopic Philanthropy V. A Morning Adventure VI. Quite at Home VII. The Ghost’s Walk VIII. Covering a Multitude of Sins IX. Signs and Tokens X. The Law-Writer XI. Our Dear Brother XII. On the Watch XIII. Esther’s Narrative XIV. Deportment XV. Bell Yard XVI. Tom-all-Alone’s XVII. Esther’s Narrative XVIII. Lady Dedlock XIX. Moving On XX. A New Lodger XXI. The Smallweed Family XXII. Mr. Bucket XXIII. Esther’s Narrative XXIV. An Appeal Case XXV. Mrs. Snagsby Sees It All XXVI. Sharpshooters XXVII. More Old Soldiers Than One XXVIII. The Ironmaster XXIX. The Young Man XXX. Esther’s Narrative XXXI. Nurse and Patient XXXII. The Appointed Time XXXIII. Interlopers XXXIV. A Turn of the Screw XXXV. Esther’s Narrative XXXVI. Chesney Wold XXXVII. Jarndyce and Jarndyce XXXVIII. A Struggle XXXIX. Attorney and Client XL. National and Domestic XLI. In Mr. Tulkinghorn’s Room XLII. In Mr. Tulkinghorn’s Chambers XLIII. Esther’s Narrative XLIV. The Letter and the Answer XLV. In Trust XLVI. Stop Him! XLVII. Jo’s Will XLVIII. Closing In XLIX. Dutiful Friendship L. Esther’s Narrative LI. Enlightened LII. Obstinacy LIII. The Track LIV. Springing a Mine LV. Flight LVI. Pursuit LVII. Esther’s Narrative LVIII. A Wintry Day and Night LIX. Esther’s Narrative LX. Perspective LXI. A Discovery LXII. Another Discovery LXIII. Steel and Iron LXIV. Esther’s Narrative LXV. Beginning the World LXVI. Down in Lincolnshire LXVII. The Close of Esther’s Narrative PREFACE A Chancery judge once had the kindness to inform me, as one of a company of some hundred and fifty men and women not labouring under any suspicions of lunacy, that the Court of Chancery, though the shining subject of much popular prejudice (at which point I thought the judge’s eye had a cast in my… [ Sign in to buy ](https://publica.now/access?redirect=%2Fcheckout%2Fbleak-house) The sample continues in the full work. 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