As a remedy to sleeplessness, Charles Dickens used to take to wandering the streets of London at night for long stretches of time. On those walks, he gained a great deal of experience of and sympathy for homeless people and what it was like to share their world, noting down his observations in the series of essays and accounts contained within this volume. The essays include: “Night walks” (1860), “Gone Astray” (1853), “Chatham Dockyard” (1863), “A Small Star In The East” (1868), “On an Amateur Beat” (1869), “Betting-shops” (1852), and “Trading in Death” (1852). These incredible essays offer a unique glimpse into London's underbelly during the mid-nineteenth century, painting a vivid picture of the lives and travails of London's neglected underclass. Charles John Huffam Dickens (1812–1870) was an English writer and social critic famous for having created some of the world's most well-known fictional characters. His works became unprecedentedly popular during his life, and today he is commonly regarded as the greatest Victorian-era novelist. Although perhaps better known for such works as “Oliver Twist” and “A Christmas Carol”, Dickens first gained success with the 1836 serial publication of “The Pickwick Papers”, which turned him almost overnight into an international literary celebrity thanks to his humour, satire, and astute observations concerning society and character. Read & Co. Books is publishing this fantastic collection of essays complete with a specially-commissioned biography of the author.
