The Life of Charles Dickens, Vol. I-Iii, Complete

Chapter I. 1812-1822.

Pages 21-46.

CHILDHOOD. ÆT. 1-10.

PAGE Birth at Landport in Portsea 21 Family of John Dickens 22 Powers of observation in children 23 Two years old 23 In London, æt. 2-3 23 In Chatham, æt. 4-9 23 Vision of boyhood 24 The queer small child 25 Mother's teaching 26 Day-school in Rome Lane 27 Retrospects of childhood 27 David Copperfield and Charles Dickens 28 Access to small but good library 29 Tragedy-writing 30 Comic-song singing 31 Cousin James Lamert 31 First taken to theatre 32 At Mr. Giles's school 32 Encored in the recitations 33 Boyish recollections 33 Birthplace of his fancy 35 Last night in Chatham 35 In London 36 First impressions 36 Bayham Street, Camden-town 36 Faculty of early observation 37 His description of his father 38 Small theatre made for him 38 Sister Fanny at Royal Academy of Music 39 Walks about London 39 Biography and autobiography 40 At his godfather's and his uncle's 41 First efforts at description 42 "Res Angusta Domi" 42 Mother exerting herself 43 Father in the Marshalsea 43 Visit to the prison 44 Captain Porter 44 Old friends disposed of 45 At the pawnbroker's 46

Chapter Ii. 1822-1824.

Pages 47-70.

HARD EXPERIENCES IN BOYHOOD. ÆT. 10-12.

Mr. Dilke's half-crown 48 Story of boyhood told 48 D. C. and C. D. 48 Enterprise of the cousins Lamert 49 First employment in life 51 Blacking-warehouse 51 A poor little drudge 52 Bob Fagin and Poll Green 52 "Facilis Descensus" 52 Crushed hopes 53 The home in Gower Street 53 Regaling alamode 54 Home broken up 54 At Mrs. Roylance's in Camden-town 55 Sundays in prison 55 Pudding-shops and coffee-shops 56 What was and might have been 57 Thomas and Harry 58 A lodging in Lant Street 59 Meals in the Marshalsea 59 C. D. and the Marchioness 60 Originals of Garland family 60 Adventure with Bob Fagin 61 Saturday-night shows 61 Appraised officially 62 Publican and wife at Cannon Row 63 Marshalsea incident in Copperfield 64 Incident as it occurred 65 Materials for Pickwick 66 Sister Fanny's musical prize 66 From Hungerford Stairs to Chandos Street 67 Father's quarrel with James Lamert 68 Quits the warehouse 68 Bitter associations of servitude 69 What became of the blacking business 70

Chapter Iii. 1824-1830.

Pages 71-95.

SCHOOL-DAYS AND START IN LIFE. ÆT. 12-18.

Outcome of boyish trials 71 Disadvantage in later years 72 Advantages 73 Next move in life 74 Wellington House Academy 74 Revisited and described 75 Letter from a schoolfellow 76 C. D.'s recollections of school 77 Schoolfellow's recollections of C. D. 77 Fac-simile of schoolboy letter 79 Daniel Tobin 81 Another schoolfellow's recollections 82 Writing tales and getting up plays 83 Master Beverley scene-painter 84 Street-acting 84 The schoolfellows after forty years 85 Smallness of the world 86 In attorneys' offices 87 At minor theatres 88 The father on the son's education 89 Studying short-hand 90 In British Museum reading-room 90 Preparing for the gallery 91 D. C. for C. D. 91 A real Dora in 1829 92 The same Dora in 1855 93 Dora changed into Flora 94 Ashes of youth and hope 95

Chapter Iv. 1831-1835.

Pages 96-106.

REPORTERS' GALLERY AND NEWSPAPER LITERATURE.

ÆT. 19-23.

Reporting for True Sun 96 First seen by me 97 Reporting for Mirror and Chronicle 97 First published piece 97 Discipline and experiences of reporting 98 Life as a reporter 99 John Black 100 Mr. Thomas Beard 101 A letter to his editor 102 Incident of reporting days 102 The same more correctly told 103 Origin of "Boz" 104 Captain Holland 104 Mr. George Hogarth 105 Sketches in Evening Chronicle 105 C. D.'s first hearty appreciator 106

Chapter V. 1836.

Pages 107-115.

FIRST BOOK, AND ORIGIN OF PICKWICK. ÆT. 24.

Sketches by Boz 107 Fancy-piece by N. P. Willis: a poor English author 107 Start of Pickwick 108 Marriage to Miss Hogarth 108 First connection with Chapman & Hall 109 Mr. Seymour's part in Pickwick 109 Letters relating thereto 110 C. D.'s own account 110 False claims refuted 111 Pickwick's original, his figure and his name 112 First sprightly runnings of genius 113 The Sketches characterized 114 Mr. Seymour's death 115 New illustrator chosen 115 Mr. Hablot K. Browne 115 C. D. leaves the gallery 116 Strange Gentleman and Village Coquettes 116

Chapter Vi. 1837.

Pages 117-140.

WRITING THE PICKWICK PAPERS. ÆT. 25.

First letter from him 117 As he was thirty-five years ago 118 Mrs. Carlyle and Leigh Hunt 119 Birth of eldest son 119 From Furnival's Inn to Doughty Street 119 A long-remembered sorrow 120 I visit him 120 Hasty compacts with publishers 121 Self-sold into quasi-bondage 121 Agreements for editorship and writing 121 Mr. Macrone's scheme to reissue Sketches 122 Attempts to prevent it 123 Exorbitant demand 123 Impatience of suspense 123 Purchase advised 124 Oliver Twist 125 Characters real to himself 125 Sense of responsibility for his writings 126 Criticism that satisfied him 126 Help given with his proofs 126 Writing Pickwick, Nos. 14 and 15 127 Scenes in a debtors' prison 128 A recollection of Smollett 128 Reception of Pickwick 129 A popular rage 129 Mr. Carlyle's "dreadful" story 130 Secrets of success 130 Pickwick inferior to later books 131 Exception for Sam Weller and Mr. Pickwick 131 Personal habits of C. D. 132 Reliefs after writing 133 Natural discontents 134 The early agreements 134 Tale to follow Oliver Twist 135 Compromise with Mr. Bentley 135 Trip to Flanders 135 First visit to Broadstairs 136 Piracies of Pickwick 137 A sufferer from agreements 138 First visit to Brighton 138 What he is doing with Oliver Twist 139 Reading De Foe 139 "No Thoroughfare" 139 Proposed help to Macready 140

Chapter Vii. 1837-1838.

Pages 141-151.

BETWEEN PICKWICK AND NICKLEBY. ÆT. 25-26.

Edits Life of Grimaldi 141 His own opinion of it 142 An objection answered 142 His recollections of 1823 142 Completion of Pickwick 143 A purpose long entertained 144 Relations with Chapman & Hall 144 Payments made for Pickwick 145 Agreement for Nicholas Nickleby 145 Oliver Twist characterized 146 Reasons for acceptance with every class 146 Nightmare of an agreement 147 Letter to Mr. Bentley 147 Proposal as to Barnaby Rudge 148 Result of it 148 Birth of eldest daughter 149 Young Gentlemen and Young Couples 149 First number of Nicholas Nickleby 150 2d of April, 1838 150

Chapter Viii. 1838.

Pages 152-164.

OLIVER TWIST. ÆT. 26.

Interest in characters at close of Oliver 152 Writing of the last chapter 153 Cruikshank illustrations 154 Etchings for last volume 154 How executed 154 Slander respecting them exposed 155 Falsehood ascribed to the artist 155 Reputation of the new tale 156 Its workmanship 157 Social evils passed away 157 Living only in what destroyed them 157 Chief design of the story 158 Its principal figures 158 Comedy and tragedy of crime 159 Reply to attacks 160 Le Sage, Gay, and Fielding 160 Likeness to them 161 Again the shadow of Barnaby 161 Appeal to Mr. Bentley for delay 161 A very old story 162 "Sic vos non vobis" 162 Barnaby given up by Mr. Bentley 163 Resignation of Miscellany 163 Parent parting from child 164

Chapter Ix. 1838-1839.

Pages 165-179.

NICHOLAS NICKLEBY. ÆT. 26-27.

Doubts of success dispelled 165 Realities of English life 166 Characters self-revealed 167 Miss Bates and Mrs. Nickleby 167 Smike and Dotheboys 167 A favorite type of humanity 168 Sydney Smith and Newman Noggs 168 Kindliness and breadth of humor 169 Goldsmith and Smollett 169 Early and later books 170 Biographical not critical 171 Characteristics 171 Materials for the book 171 Birthday letter 172 A difficulty at starting 172 Never in advance with Nickleby 173 Always with later books 173 Enjoying a play 174 At the Adelphi 174 Writing Mrs. Nickleby's love-scene 175 Sydney Smith vanquished 175 Winding up the story 176 Parting from creatures of his fancy 177 The Nickleby dinner 178 Persons present 178 The Maclise portrait 178

Chapter X. 1838-1839.

Pages 180-190.

DURING AND AFTER NICKLEBY. ÆT. 26-27.

The Cottage at Twickenham 180 Daniel Maclise 180 Ainsworth and other friends 181 Mr. Stanley of Alderley 182 Petersham cottage 182 Childish enjoyments 182 Writes a farce for Covent Garden 183 Entered at the Middle Temple 183 We see Wainewright in Newgate 184 Oliver Twist and the Quarterly 184 Hood's Up the Rhine 185 Shakspeare Society 185 Birth of second daughter 186 House-hunting 186 Barnaby at his tenth page 186 Letter from Exeter 187 A landlady and her friends 187 A home for his father and mother 188 Autobiographical 189 Visit to an upholsterer 189 Visit from the same 190

Chapter Xi. 1839.

Pages 191-199.

NEW LITERARY PROJECT. ÆT. 27-28.

Thoughts for the future 191 Doubts of old serial form 192 Suggestion for his publishers 192 My mediation with them 193 Proposed weekly publication 193 Design of it 193 Old favorites to be revived 194 Subjects to be dealt with 194 Chapters on Chambers 194 Gog and Magog Relaxations 194 Savage Chronicles 195 Others as well as himself to write 195 Travels to Ireland and America in view 195 Stipulation as to property and payments 196 Great hopes of success 197 Assent of his publishers 197 No planned story 197 Terms of agreement 197 Notion for his hero 198 A name hit upon 199 Sanguine of the issue 199

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