The Loving ballad of Lord Bateman

by Charles Dickens

Small, staple-bound booklet with covers in excellent condition. Dickens/Thackeray adapatation of a traditional ballad, complete with notes, music and 11 B&W illustrative plates by Cruikshank. Small abrasion on inside back cover. Page block slightly tanned from age with a small stain on top of face, but inside all pages are tight and clean, with bright text and illustrations - the book has aged well. TS

Genres: Poetry, Classics, Fiction, Literature

40 pages, Paperback

First published October 1, 2007

About the author

Charles John Huffam Dickens (1812-1870) was a writer and social critic who created some of the world's best-known fictional characters and is regarded as the greatest novelist of the Victorian era. His works enjoyed unprecedented popularity during his lifetime, and by the twentieth century critics and scholars had recognised him as a literary genius. His novels and short stories enjoy lasting popularity.

Dickens left school to work in a factory when his father was incarcerated in a debtors' prison. Despite his lack of formal education, he edited a weekly journal for 20 years, wrote 15 novels, five novellas, hundreds of short stories and non-fiction articles, lectured and performed extensively, was an indefatigable letter writer, and campaigned vigorously for children's rights, education, and other social reforms.

Dickens was regarded as the literary colossus of his age. His 1843 novella, A Christmas Carol, remains popular and continues to inspire adaptations in every artistic genre. Oliver Twist and Great Expectations are also frequently adapted, and, like many of his novels, evoke images of early Victorian London. His 1859 novel, A Tale of Two Cities, set in London and Paris, is his best-known work of historical fiction. Dickens's creative genius has been praised by fellow writers—from Leo Tolstoy to George Orwell and G. K. Chesterton—for its realism, comedy, prose style, unique characterisations, and social criticism. On the other hand, Oscar Wilde, Henry James, and Virginia Woolf complained of a lack of psychological depth, loose writing, and a vein of saccharine sentimentalism. The term Dickensian is used to describe something that is reminiscent of Dickens and his writings, such as poor social conditions or comically repulsive characters.

On 8 June 1870, Dickens suffered another stroke at his home after a full day's work on Edwin Drood. He never regained consciousness, and the next day he died at Gad's Hill Place. Contrary to his wish to be buried at Rochester Cathedral "in an inexpensive, unostentatious, and strictly private manner," he was laid to rest in the Poets' Corner of Westminster Abbey. A printed epitaph circulated at the time of the funeral reads: "To the Memory of Charles Dickens (England's most popular author) who died at his residence, Higham, near Rochester, Kent, 9 June 1870, aged 58 years. He was a sympathiser with the poor, the suffering, and the oppressed; and by his death, one of England's greatest writers is lost to the world." His last words were: "On the ground", in response to his sister-in-law Georgina's request that he lie down.

(from Wikipedia)

Reviews

[Max · Rating 2 out of 5]

An old English ballad written down in paragraphs. There's additional explanation provided at the end, which is really needed for me because the ballad itself didn't really make a lot of sense. It was not as entertaining as most of the other short stories I read during my short-story-binge, but it was so short that I was not annoyed at the end. :-)

[Rebecca Long Okura · Rating 3 out of 5]

This book is exactly what it purports to be. It is the writing down of a old English ballad. That’s all it is. Then after that some biographical information about Dickens is provided. While this information can be found elsewhere in depth, it is at least briefly provided here. I came here to read the ballad and this is it. The problem with this book is that, while it references the illustrations that were published at the same time as the original edition, the illustrations ARE NOT included here, which is a shame as they are really fun and add a lot of interest to the book.

[ForestGardenGal · Rating 5 out of 5]

In this short poem, Dickens displays his Shakespearean prowess. A beautiful and touching sweet romance; the notes at the end of the poem add explanations that help the reader to understand the development of the characters as would have been understood by a Shakespearean audience.

PG, though some explanation will probably be required for younger audiences to comprehend the poem, there is no sex, language, nor violence.

[Fahdii Ajmalal Fikrie · Rating 4 out of 5]

Probably wouldn't have understood this ballad if it weren't for the syarah (re: commentary).

The commentary itself felt a little too 'reaching' in some parts, but I could finally see the beauty within the story after reading it.

[P.H. Wilson · Rating 2 out of 5]

Real rating: 4/10
Only read if you must read all of Dickens's work, while it is quite short those few brief moments can be better spent elsewhere.