Set during the anti-Catholic Gordon Riots of 1780, the novel mainly follows Barnaby Rudge, a simple man living with Mary, his loving mother. When their peaceful village life is interrupted by the arrival of a mysterious stranger, Barnaby and Mary flee to London. On their way, they encounter a group of rioters who trick Barnaby into joining them, despite Mary's pleas.

Barnaby Rudge was Dickens's first historical novel. His only other is A Tale of Two Cities (1859), also set in revolutionary times. British historian and Dickens biographer Peter Ackroyd has called it "one of Dickens's most neglected, but most rewarding, novels". Grip the raven inspired Edgar Allan Poe to write his most famous poem, "The Raven".

his case laminate collector's edition includes a Victorian-inspired dust jacket.