Roald Dahl’s Charlie and the Chocolate Factory was first published in 1964.
The novel follows Charlie Bucket, a poor boy who wins a tour of Willy Wonka’s extraordinary chocolate factory after finding one of five Golden Tickets. Its combination of fantasy, moral consequences, and grotesque comedy quickly made it one of Dahl’s most recognizable books.
The story has been adapted several times. The 1971 film was titled Willy Wonka & the Chocolate Factory, while the 2005 film retained the book’s title. A later prequel film, Wonka, was released in 2023 and focuses on a younger version of the chocolatier.
The first edition was illustrated by Joseph Schindelman. Later editions became closely associated with Quentin Blake’s illustrations, although Blake did not illustrate the original publication.