Doctor Marigold was originally published in All the Year Round in 1865. These prescriptions, told by Doctor Marigaold who is a deaf mute, are tales of adventure and romance, featuring thieves, kidnappings and witchcraft. Together, they form a wonderful selection of stories that are told with the clever wit and brilliant description that characterise Dickens' writing.

Doctor Marigold was one of Charles Dickens most popular readings. The Doctor of the title is a market Cheap Jack, named in honour of a doctor who assisted at his birth. On the surface he is a trader with a rapid sales-patter, but underneath there lays a story both moving and heartbreaking. Although little known today, Dr Marigold still moves audiences as it did in Charles' day.

Charles John Huffam Dickens (7 February 1812–9 June 1874) was an English writer and social critic. He created some of the world's most well-known fictional characters and is generally regarded as the greatest novelist of the Victorian period. During his life, his works enjoyed unprecedented popularity, and by the twentieth century he was widely seen as a literary genius by critics and scholars. His novels and short stories continue to be widely popular.