Charles Dickens ~ February 7, 1812

      There is so much written about Charles Dickens, I can only here convey Happy Birthday wishes, a few pictures, a few links and a reminder to watch the Masterpiece Classic Dickens extravaganza beginning February 15 [check your PBS listings]         Further Reading: [with endless links to biographies, works, criticism] [...]

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Dickens ~ “A Christmas Carol”

Today we celebrate Dickens A Christmas Carol , first published on December 19, 1843.  Illustrated by John Leech, it was the first of Dickens’s Christmas stories, instantly successful, selling over 6,000 copies in a week.  It also stimulated a revival of the Christmas traditions that we associate with Victorian England, many of which we still practice [...]

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On the Block ~ Byron’s Hair, etc…

Sothebys has just published the results of today’s auction [December 17, 2008, Sale L08411, London] of English Literature, History, Children’s Books and Illustrations, with a final take of 901,913 GBP!   Literature by the likes of Shakespeare, Byron, Milton, Dickens, and Beatrix Potter seems to be alive and well.  Here are a few of the results: Lot 26.  [...]

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