The Life of Charles Dickens, Vol. I-III, Complete

A detailed contemporary biography traces the subject's upbringing in a modest family, boyhood hardships, early work experiences, schooling, and first theatrical and literary interests; follows his start as a reporter and contributor to periodicals, the creation and publication of early sketches and serialized fiction, the circumstances behind his first popular successes and collaborators, and the development of later novels; interweaves personal recollections, letters, and anecdotes to illuminate friendships, family relations, habits, and working methods, while combining chronological narrative with critical commentary and documentary material.