Charles Dickens

This acclaimed series draws on the British Library's outstanding collections of manuscripts, letters, diaries and other original source material to introduce the life and work of some of the major writers in English. Written by experts in a lively and informative style each title gives a concise biography while offering new insights into the circumstances and influences that shaped their major works. Few literature enthusiasts can be entirely unaware of the colourful and turbulent life of Charles Dickens, and the role it had to play in helping to shape some of his most famous and vibrant scenes and characters. Elizabeth James takes the reader through the triumphs and disasters, the highs and lows of the life of Dickens: from the impoverished beginnings in London and his father's imprisonment in the Marshalsea, through to the fame and eventual fortune he achieved in his authorial and editorial careers.