[Borges]

Oliver Twist is substandard Dickens IMO. But TPP revolsutioned the publishing industry. I think that's the primary reason its there. Uncle Tom's Cabin isn't exactly a literary masterwork either. Interestingly enough, Tolstoy came to prefer it to his own novels for its high moral value.

[Knitting A Conundrum]

Yep. Uncle Tom's Cabin was the right book at the right moment...but it's not great literature. Just significant.

[Senator Bedfellow]

Uncle Tom's Cabin isn't exactly a literary masterwork either.

And that's another thing. If I were to make two lists, starting with a list of novels important for their historical impact, it would be quite a different list in some respects than a list of novels selected for their literary quality. I don't think anyone can deny the historical import of Uncle Tom's Cabin, but as literature, Uncle Tom's Cabin has almost as much style and depth as my son's "Incredible Hulk" comics.

[nopardons]

"OLIVER TWIST" was by far, the most accurate look at the under classes, that Dickens ever wrote. He used Mayhew's two volume set as reference material and if your read Mayhew, you can see and hear the parts that Charlie used. And it is one of Dickens' less flowery/soap opera/cliff hangers. It also doesn't contain any of his overt mooning of his own "innocent girl" lost love/what might have been scenario.

If the list contains TPP because it was THE FIRST of a genre and the start of something "different", then I can think of a whole LOT of other books, that should have been included and weren't.