Household Words

English · 1850 · 2h 40m · Essays & Short Works, Periodicals & Magazines, Anthologies

Household Words is a weekly magazine edited by Charles Dickens, bringing together fiction, poetry, nonfiction, and opinion for a broad reading public in 1850s England.

Rather than following one story or subject, the collection moves among different kinds of writing and topics. Its variety offers a snapshot of the interests and concerns presented in a Victorian periodical.

The title comes from Shakespeare’s Henry V, where “household words” describes language made familiar through everyday use. Listeners can dip into a changing mix of short works, with Dickens’s editorial hand connecting the magazine’s varied contents.