A young man named Martin Chuzzlewitt falls in love with an orphan girl named Mary, who was hired to take care of his wealthy grandfather. When Martin's grandfather learns of his love, Martin is ejected from his home and promptly disinherited. Martin sets out on a series of misadventures, that include cheaters, thieves and murderers. All the while he remains hopeful of reconciling with his grandfather and finding happiness with Mary.
The main theme of the novel is selfishness, portrayed in a satirical fashion using all the members of the Chuzzlewit family. Like nearly all of Dickens's novels, Martin Chuzzlewit was first published in monthly instalments. Early sales of the monthly parts were lower than those of previous works, so Dickens changed the plot to send the title character to the United States. He satirised the country as a place filled with self-promoting hucksters, eager to sell land sight unseen. Sairey Gamp, one of the characters in Martin Chuzzlewitt, habitually carries with her a battered black umbrella; she was so popular with the Victorian public that Gamp became a slang word for an umbrella.
This case laminate collector's edition includes a Victorian-inspired dust jacket.