In the preface to the 1867 edition, Dickens wrote, "like many fond parents, I have in my heart of hearts a favourite child. And his name is David Copperfield." Among the memorable cast of characters David Copperfield encounters along the way are his brutal stepfather, Mr Murdstone; bubbly Nurse Peggotty; his brilliant, but unworthy schoolmate Steerforth, his eccentric aunt, Betsy Trotwood, the scheming clerk Uriah Heep, the enchanting Dora and the magnificent Mr Macawber - a character much like Dickens' own father. Full of tragedy and comedy in equal measure, David Copperfield remains one of the most enduring and popular of Dickens' novels.

David Copperfield is the eighth novel by Charles Dickens. It was first published as a serial in 1849–50, and as a book in 1850. It is the epic story of a young man's journey of self-discovery — from an unhappy and impoverished childhood to his vocation as a successful novelist and many elements of the novel follow events in Dickens' own life. It is often considered as his veiled autobiography and it was also Dickens' favorite among his own novels.

Charles Dickens (7 February 1812 – 9 June 1870) was an English writer and social critic. He created some of the world's best-known fictional characters and is regarded by many as the greatest novelist of the Victorian era. His works enjoyed unprecedented popularity during his lifetime, and by the twentieth century critics and scholars had recognised him as a literary genius. His novels and short stories enjoy lasting popularity. His most famous works are A Tale of Two Cities, Oliver Twist and Great Expectations.