<i><b>A Tale of Two Cities by&nbsp;Charles Dickens -&nbsp;</b></i>&nbsp;is an 1859&nbsp;historical novel&nbsp;by&nbsp;Charles Dickens, set in&nbsp;London&nbsp;and&nbsp;Paris&nbsp;before and during the&nbsp;French Revolution. The novel tells the story of the French Doctor Manette, his 18-year-long imprisonment in the&nbsp;Bastille&nbsp;in Paris, and his release to live in London with his daughter Lucie whom he had never met.<br /><br />The story is set against the conditions that led up to the French Revolution and the&nbsp;Reign of Terror. In the Introduction to the&nbsp;<i>Encyclopedia of Adventure Fiction</i>, critic&nbsp;Don D&#39;Ammassa&nbsp;argues that it is an&nbsp;adventure novel&nbsp;because the protagonists are in constant danger of being imprisoned or killed.<br /><br />As Dickens&#39;s best-known work of historical fiction,&nbsp;<i>A Tale of Two Cities</i>&nbsp;is claimed to be one of the best-selling novels of all time. In 2003, the novel was ranked 63rd on the&nbsp;BBC&#39;s&nbsp;The Big Read&nbsp;poll. The novel has been adapted for film, television, radio, and the stage, and has continued to influence popular culture.