本书是周作人十分具有代表性的子集之一，收录了周作人二十余篇经典的散文作品。他的文章多是描写生活中最为寻常的片段，字里行间也是满满的恬淡平和，却能洞穿人心，往往寥寥数语便会令读者着迷。本书中的周作人是懂生活的人，他笔下的一草一木、飞虫雨露都带着灵气，遥远却不失真。透过本书他信手为世人打开了一扇窗，透过那扇窗让我们依然可见当年古朴的市井原态和时代风貌。从作者散文创作来看，本书与《夜读集》风格相近，曾于1941年由国际文化振兴会出版单行本。“药味”之命，乃是因为书中所收文章，看似闲适，但是用心品茗却令人颇感苦闷，在苦味中希望能对他人有所裨益，故以此为名。“痛，并快乐着”，或许就是本书吸引读者的一大特点。
The Uncommercial Traveller（不做生意的旅行者） 立即阅读
The Uncommercial Traveller is a collection of literary sketches and reminiscences written by Charles Dickens, published in 1860-1861. In 1859 Dickens founded a new journal called All the Year Round and the Uncommercial Traveller articles would be among his main contributions. He seems to have chosen the title and persona of the Uncommercial Traveller as a result of a speech he gave on 22 December 1859 to the Commercial Travellers' School London in his role as honorary chairman and treasurer. The persona sits well with a writer who liked to travel, not only as a tourist, but also to research and report what he found visiting Europe, America and giving book readings throughout Britain.
Pictures from Italy（意大利风光） 立即阅读
Pictures from Italy is a travelogue by Charles Dickens, written in 1846. The book reveals the concerns of its author as he presents, according to Kate Flint, the country "like a chaotic magic-lantern show, fascinated both by the spectacle it offers, and by himself as spectator". In 1844, Dickens took a respite from writing novels and for several months traveled through France and Italy with his family. They visited the most famous sights: Genoa, Rome, Naples (with Vesuvius still smouldering), Florence and Venice. In his travelogue the author portrays a nation of great contrasts: grandiose buildings and urban desolation, and everyday life beside ancient monuments. But it is his encounters with Italy's colorful street life that capture the imagination.
Barnaby Rudge: A Tale of the Riots of Eighty (commonly known as Barnaby Rudge) is a historical novel by British novelist Charles Dickens. Barnaby Rudge was one of two novels (the other was The Old Curiosity Shop) that Dickens published in his short-lived (1840–1841) weekly serial Master Humphrey's Clock. Barnaby Rudge is largely set during the Gordon Riots of 1780. Barnaby Rudge was the fifth of Dickens' novels to be published. It had originally been planned to appear as his first, but changes of publisher led to many delays, and it first appeared in serial form in the Clock from February to November 1841.
Three Ghost Stories（三个鬼故事） 立即阅读
As a gifted writer with a strong interest in supernatural phenomena, Charles Dickens produced a string of ghost stories with enduring charm. Three of them are presented here, of which The Signal Man is one of the best known. Though quite different from his most celebrated realistic and humorous critical novels, these ghost stories, Gothic and grotesque as they are, are of good portrayal, and worth a read/listen.
A Child's History of England（写给孩子们看的英国史） 立即阅读
A Child's History of England is a book by Charles Dickens. It first appeared in serial form in Household Words, running from 25 January 1851 to 10 December 1853. Dickens also published the work in book form in three volumes: the first volume on 20 December 1851, the second on 25 December 1852 and the third on 24 December 1853. Although the volumes were published in December, each was postdated the following year. Dickens dedicated the book to "My own dear children, whom I hope it may help, bye and bye, to read with interest larger and better books on the same subject". The history covered the period between 50 BC and 1689, ending with a chapter summarising events from then until the accession of Queen Victoria.
Sketches by "Boz," Illustrative of Every-day Life and Every-day People (commonly known as Sketches by Boz) is a collection of short pieces Charles Dickens originally published in various newspapers and other periodicals between 1833 and 1836. They were re-issued in book form, under their current title, in February and August 1836, with illustrations by George Cruikshank. The first complete one volume edition appeared in 1839. The 56 sketches concern London scenes and people, and the whole work is divided into four sections: "Our Parish", "Scenes", "Characters" and "Tales". The material in the first three sections consists of non-narrative pen-portraits, but the last section comprises fictional stories.
长篇小说《旧时代之死》是作者在艰难辗转的生活途程中创作的。初稿写成于作者从北京返回南方不久的1926年春夏，小说描写“一位落在时代的熔炉中的青年，八天内所受的‘熔解生活’的全部经过”。作者“收拾青年们所失落着的生命的遗恨，结构成这部小说”。小说反映了在动荡黑暗的大革命时代，一些小资产阶级知识分子，既无勇气和决心投入群众的革命洪流，又不愿与旧社会同流合污，犹豫、徘徊，悲观、绝望，最后归于毁灭。这部作品虽存在着基调低沉，结构有些松散，叙述比较拖沓等缺点，但对于当时“站在新时代台前奋斗，或隐在旧时代幕后挣扎的朋友们”，都是有一定启发和教育意义的。它曾得到鲁迅的好评，被认为总还是“优秀之作”。
