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Saturday 18 February 2017

Pickwick Papers

The first edition of Charles Dickens' debut novel, Pickwick Papers appeared on March 31, 1836.

The 24 year old Dickens married Kate Hogarth at St Luke's church, Chelsea two days after the first monthly edition of Pickwick Papers appeared.

Dickens received 14 guineas for each monthly installment of Pickwick Papers. It only took off when he introduced the character of Sam Weller.


The illustrator Phiz became almost as famous as Dickens for his comic illustrations to The Pickwick Papers and other novels.

Pickwick Papers was the first novel to attempt a rendering of street talk. Not very accurately. For instance Sam Weller's indiscriminate swapping of "w" for "v" was not very realistic.

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