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Dickens: The Story of the Life of the World's Favourite Author
Charles Dickens is one of England's best-loved authors.
A literary phenomenon in his own time, his is still immensely popular across the globe, nearly 150 years after his death.
Walter Dexter's classic biography of Dickens, first published in 1937 examines Dickens' life as a journalist, a writer, an actor and, perhaps most importantly, as a reader.
Dickens had great presence on the stage, and the readings he organised of passages of his novels were always a sell-out success.
No-one could bring to life Dickens' characters, with all their humour, sympathy, darkness and light, like Dickens could himself.
He became a celebrity, not just for his serialised, and increasingly popular novels, but for his performance art.
Walter Dexter reflects on Dickens' life to illuminate what shaped the man behind the novels, and what influences he drew from to create his infamous characters.
This short biography is essential reading for anyone wanting to learn more about Charles Dickens the man, the author, and the actor.
Walter Dexter (1877-1944) devoted his leisure time to studying Charles Dickens. He became a member of the Dickens Fellowship in 1905 and spent much of his spare time in travelling throughout England seeking to identify towns, villages and other scenes associated with the life and writing of his favourite author. Relinquishing the Honorary Treasurer of the Dickens Fellowship, a post he had held for some years, he became editor of Fellowship's magazine 'The Dickensian' in 1925 and he held the post until his death. He was also the first Honorary Secretary of the Dickens Fellowship Dramatic Society, formed in 1905. He had also been one of the joint editors, along with Arthur Waugh, Sir Hugh Walpole and Thomas Hatton, of the splendid Nonesuch Editions of Dickens' works and had been solely responsible for the monumental undertaking of preparing three volumes of Dickens' letters, the most complete collection ever made to that time, running to almost 2500 pages. After his death a Walter Dexter Memorial Fund was established to ensure that his name would be associated in perpetuity with The Dickens House at Doughty Street, as he was closely associated, with B W Matz, in the concept of securing the House as a centre, a museum, and a library from which to foster the love of the novelist and his works.
Albion Press is an imprint of Endeavour Press, the UK's leading independent digital publisher. For more information on our titles please sign up to our newsletter at www.endeavourpress.com. Each week you will receive updates on free and discounted ebooks. Follow us on Twitter: @EndeavourPress and on Facebook via http://on.fb.me/1HweQV7. We are always interested in hearing from our readers. Endeavour Press believes that the future is now.
A literary phenomenon in his own time, his is still immensely popular across the globe, nearly 150 years after his death.
Walter Dexter's classic biography of Dickens, first published in 1937 examines Dickens' life as a journalist, a writer, an actor and, perhaps most importantly, as a reader.
Dickens had great presence on the stage, and the readings he organised of passages of his novels were always a sell-out success.
No-one could bring to life Dickens' characters, with all their humour, sympathy, darkness and light, like Dickens could himself.
He became a celebrity, not just for his serialised, and increasingly popular novels, but for his performance art.
Walter Dexter reflects on Dickens' life to illuminate what shaped the man behind the novels, and what influences he drew from to create his infamous characters.
This short biography is essential reading for anyone wanting to learn more about Charles Dickens the man, the author, and the actor.
Walter Dexter (1877-1944) devoted his leisure time to studying Charles Dickens. He became a member of the Dickens Fellowship in 1905 and spent much of his spare time in travelling throughout England seeking to identify towns, villages and other scenes associated with the life and writing of his favourite author. Relinquishing the Honorary Treasurer of the Dickens Fellowship, a post he had held for some years, he became editor of Fellowship's magazine 'The Dickensian' in 1925 and he held the post until his death. He was also the first Honorary Secretary of the Dickens Fellowship Dramatic Society, formed in 1905. He had also been one of the joint editors, along with Arthur Waugh, Sir Hugh Walpole and Thomas Hatton, of the splendid Nonesuch Editions of Dickens' works and had been solely responsible for the monumental undertaking of preparing three volumes of Dickens' letters, the most complete collection ever made to that time, running to almost 2500 pages. After his death a Walter Dexter Memorial Fund was established to ensure that his name would be associated in perpetuity with The Dickens House at Doughty Street, as he was closely associated, with B W Matz, in the concept of securing the House as a centre, a museum, and a library from which to foster the love of the novelist and his works.
Albion Press is an imprint of Endeavour Press, the UK's leading independent digital publisher. For more information on our titles please sign up to our newsletter at www.endeavourpress.com. Each week you will receive updates on free and discounted ebooks. Follow us on Twitter: @EndeavourPress and on Facebook via http://on.fb.me/1HweQV7. We are always interested in hearing from our readers. Endeavour Press believes that the future is now.
85 pages, Hardcover
First published January 1, 1927
1 person want to read
About the author
Walter Dexter
30 books3 followersWalter Dexter was born in London on 7 June 1877 and after school at St Olave's Grammar School he entered the business house where his father held a responsible position. After a while he branched out and put his energy and enterprise into becoming a general produce merchant and shipper with interests in many overseas countries.
Outside his career, he decided to devote his leisure time to studying Charles Dickens. He became a member of the Dickens Fellowship in 1905 and spent much of his spare time in travelling throughout England seeking to identify towns, villages and other scenes associated with the life and writing of his favourite author, about whom he wrote many books.
Relinquishing the Honorary Treasurer of the Dickens Fellowship, a post he had held for some years, he became editor of Fellowship's magazine 'The Dickensian' in 1925 and he held the post until his death. He was also the first Honorary Secretary of the Dickens Fellowship Dramatic Society, formed in 1905. In addition he performed with the society and one of his last appearances was as Captain Cuttle at the Pickwick Centenary Matinee at the London Palladium in 1936.
He was an omnivorous reader and a keen collector of first editions, having in his collection complete sets of the first editions of Arnold Bennett, W J Locke, H G Wells and Robert Louis Stevenson among others. He also had an extensive collection of magazines and his interest in boys' and girls' periodicals provided a very readable article on collecting such in 'Chamber's Journal'.
He also spent many hours in the British Museum and other libraries, adding to his already extensive knowledge of theatrical history and old play-bills and on topographical research.
One of his other interests was crossword puzzles and he compiled a great number, many on Dickensian themes, for various newspapers such as 'The Times' and 'The Listener'. It was his creation of crosswords that apparently enlightened many a long night's vigil as an ARP Warden when he was on duty at a Warden's Post in London during the early years of World War II.
At the time of his death, in 1944, he was collecting material for an article on the changing fashions in the binding of cheap literature and had gathered together volumes from the grey paper covers and white labels of the 1820s to the yellow-backs of the 1880s in readiness for publication of his piece.
He had also been one of the joint editors, along with Arthur Waugh, Sir Hugh Walpole and Thomas Hatton, of the splendid Nonesuch Editions of Dickens' works and had been solely responsible for the monumental undertaking of preparing three volumes of Dickens' letters, the most complete collection ever made to that time, running to almost 2500 pages.
After his death a Walter Dexter Memorial Fund was established to ensure that his name would be associated in perpetuity with The Dickens House at Doughty Street, as he was closely associated, with B W Matz, in the concept of securing the House as a centre, a museum, and a library from which to foster the love of the novelist and his works.
Gerry Wolstenholme
May 2015
Outside his career, he decided to devote his leisure time to studying Charles Dickens. He became a member of the Dickens Fellowship in 1905 and spent much of his spare time in travelling throughout England seeking to identify towns, villages and other scenes associated with the life and writing of his favourite author, about whom he wrote many books.
Relinquishing the Honorary Treasurer of the Dickens Fellowship, a post he had held for some years, he became editor of Fellowship's magazine 'The Dickensian' in 1925 and he held the post until his death. He was also the first Honorary Secretary of the Dickens Fellowship Dramatic Society, formed in 1905. In addition he performed with the society and one of his last appearances was as Captain Cuttle at the Pickwick Centenary Matinee at the London Palladium in 1936.
He was an omnivorous reader and a keen collector of first editions, having in his collection complete sets of the first editions of Arnold Bennett, W J Locke, H G Wells and Robert Louis Stevenson among others. He also had an extensive collection of magazines and his interest in boys' and girls' periodicals provided a very readable article on collecting such in 'Chamber's Journal'.
He also spent many hours in the British Museum and other libraries, adding to his already extensive knowledge of theatrical history and old play-bills and on topographical research.
One of his other interests was crossword puzzles and he compiled a great number, many on Dickensian themes, for various newspapers such as 'The Times' and 'The Listener'. It was his creation of crosswords that apparently enlightened many a long night's vigil as an ARP Warden when he was on duty at a Warden's Post in London during the early years of World War II.
At the time of his death, in 1944, he was collecting material for an article on the changing fashions in the binding of cheap literature and had gathered together volumes from the grey paper covers and white labels of the 1820s to the yellow-backs of the 1880s in readiness for publication of his piece.
He had also been one of the joint editors, along with Arthur Waugh, Sir Hugh Walpole and Thomas Hatton, of the splendid Nonesuch Editions of Dickens' works and had been solely responsible for the monumental undertaking of preparing three volumes of Dickens' letters, the most complete collection ever made to that time, running to almost 2500 pages.
After his death a Walter Dexter Memorial Fund was established to ensure that his name would be associated in perpetuity with The Dickens House at Doughty Street, as he was closely associated, with B W Matz, in the concept of securing the House as a centre, a museum, and a library from which to foster the love of the novelist and his works.
Gerry Wolstenholme
May 2015
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Displaying 1 of 1 review
December 24, 2017
Dickens Story
An indifferent book. It is so short it does not exhibit any detail and it almost completely ignores his personal and family life. The author cannot get the name of his first book correct. I don't recommend this book
An indifferent book. It is so short it does not exhibit any detail and it almost completely ignores his personal and family life. The author cannot get the name of his first book correct. I don't recommend this book
Displaying 1 of 1 review