Charles Dickens: 1812-1870

Charles Dickens was one of the outstanding figures of the Victorian era. All his life he was obsessed with the memory of his childhood poverty, with months spent in miserable working conditions in a blacking factory being denied the schooling he so desperately wanted. These events had a lasting influence on his attitude to the Victorian way of life and accounted for his passionate desire for social reform. His determination to succeed took him from office-boy to novelist, actor, journalist, and public figure. This primary source portfolio includes a facsimile page from the manuscript of David Copperfield, pages from the original part-publication of The Pickwick Papers, a letter to his publisher about Christmas and to his sister-in-law about his public readings, and also a design by Dickens himself for the lectern made for these readings. Compiled by Ivor Carnegie Brown, one of the foremost authorities on Dickens, this portfolio gives a fascinating insight into the life of a great man and enables a deeper appreciation of his achievements. This portfolio includes a Study Guide with reproducible student activities. 6 Illustrated Broadsheet Essays: * Charles Dickens * The Man with a Pen * Crime and Punishment * Hard Times * In America * The Actor 14 Primary Source Documents: * Note to A. Thomas Esq., written when Dickens was at Wellington House Academy * The Pickwick Papers, pages from the original part publication with illustrations by Robert Seymour * Mr. Shaw's business card, advertising the original part publication with illustrations by Robert Seymour * The Great Boz Ball, as reported and illustrated in the New York press, 1842 * Portrait sketch of Charles Dickens by George Cruikshank * A letter from Dickens to his publishers, Bradbury & Evans * Part of a letter on capital punishment intended for publication in the Daily News * The chapter plan for an issue of David Copperfield * Page from the manuscript of David Copperfield * Pages from Household Words, with proof corrections to Hard Times * Programme for Every Man in His Humour, with a sketch of Dickens in his role by David Maclise * Dickens's design for the lectern made for his readings * A ticket for a reading by Charles Dickens * A letter from Dickens to his sister-in-law, Georgina Hogarth, describing a reading