The first collective edition of Dickens' works was issued in
1847. The standard edition is that of Chapman & Hall, London,
who were the original publishers of _Pickwick_. One of the
best of the many editions of Dickens is the Macmillan Pocket
edition with reproductions of the original covers of the
monthly parts of the novels as they appeared, the original
illustrations by Cruikshank, Leech, "Phiz" (Hablot Browne) and
others, and valuable and interesting introductions by Charles
Dickens the younger. Another good edition is in the World's
Classics, with brilliant introductions by G.K. Chesterton. In
buying an edition of Dickens it is well to get one with
reproductions of the original illustrations, as these add much
to the pleasure and interest of the novels.
For ready reference to Dickens' works there is a _Dickens
Dictionary_, giving the names of all characters and places in
the novels, by G.A. Pierce, and another similar work by A.J.
Philip. Mary Williams has also prepared a _Dickens
Concordance_.
Forster's _Life of Charles Dickens_, in three volumes, is the
standard work, as Forster was closely connected with the
novelist from the time he made his hit with _Pickwick_. George
Gissing, the novelist, made an abridgment of Forster's _Life_
in one volume, which is well done. Scores of shorter lives and
sketches have been written. Among the best of these are Dr.
A.W. Ward's _Charles Dickens_ in the English Men of Letters
series; Taine's chapter on Dickens in his _History of English
Literature_; Sir Leslie Stephen's article in the _Dictionary
of National Biography_; Mrs. Oliphant's _The Victorian Age in
English Literature_; F.G. Kitton's _Charles Dickens: His Life,
Writings and Personality_. _The Letters_, edited by Miss
Hogarth and Mary Dickens, are valuable for the light they
throw on the novelist's character and work.
In reminiscence of Dickens, the best books are Mary Dickens'
_My Father as I Recall Him_; J.T. Fields' _In and Out of Doors
With Charles Dickens_ and G. Dolby's _Charles Dickens as I
Knew Him_, the last devoted to the famous reading tours.
Edmund Yates, Anthony Trollope, James Payn, R.H. Haine and
many others have written readable reminiscences.
For the home life of Dickens and his haunts see F.G. Kitton's
_The Dickens Country_; Thomas Fort's _In Kent With Charles
Dickens_ and H.S. Ward's _The Real Dickens Land_. Of poems on
Dickens' death the very best is Bret Harte's _Dickens in
Camp_. _The Wisdom of Dickens_, compiled by Temple Scott, is a
good collection of extracts.