Charles Dickens, Jr
Encyclopedia
Charles Dickens, Jr, born Charles Culliford Boz Dickens (6 January 1837 – July 20, 1896), was the first child of the novelist Charles Dickens
and his wife Catherine
. A failed businessman, he became the editor of his father's magazine All the Year Round
, and a successful writer of dictionaries. He is now most remembered for his two 1879 books Dickens's Dictionary of London and Dickens's Dictionary of the Thames.
and his then-wife Catherine Dickens
née Hogarth. He was called "Charley" by family and friends. In 1847, aged 10, he entered the junior department of King's College, London. He went to Eton College
, and studied business in Germany. In 1855, aged 18, he entered Barings Bank
. In 1858, after his parents' separation, he was the only child to live with his mother.Perdue, op. cit.
In 1861 he married Bessie Evans (Elisabeth Matilda Moule Evans, daughter of Frederick Evans, Dickens Sr's former publisher with whom he had had a falling out). They had 8 children: Mary Angela (1862–1946), Ethel Kate (1864–1936), Charles Walter (1865–1923), Sydney Margaret (1866–1955), Dorothy Gertrude (1868–1923), Beatrice (1869–1937), Cecil Mary (1871–1952), and Evelyn Bessie (1873–1924).
In 1866 he was appointed as the first Honorary Secretary of the Metropolitan Regatta
In 1869, aged 32, after a failed business venture, he was hired by Dickens Sr as sub-editor of All the Year Round
. In 1870, after his father's death, Dickens Jr inherited the magazine and became its editor. At this time he also bought at auction Gads Hill Place
, his father's Kent
home, but he was forced to give it up in 1879 because of his own ill-health.
He wrote the introductions to many posthumous reprints of his father's books, such as Barnaby Rudge
and Little Dorrit
, providing biographical and bibliographical insights.
In 1879 he published (jointly with his father-in-law) the first editions of his two main dictionaries, Dickens's Dictionary of London and Dickens's Dictionary of the Thames. In 1882 his dictionaries were picked up by Macmillan & Co.
who also released his third dictionary, Dickens's Dictionary of Paris, delayed by verifications explained in its introduction.
In 1896, aged 59, Charles Dickens Jr died. He was buried on the same day as his younger sister Mary Dickens
.
Dickens's Dictionary of London: An Unconventional Handbook is the main book of Charles Dickens, Jr. It was first published in London in 1879, by "Charles Dickens and Evans" (Dickens Jr and his father-in-law, publisher Frederick Evans).
The book was then updated and reprinted every year until the author's death, from 1880 (second year) to the final 1896–1897 edition (eighteenth year). His dictionaries had been picked up in 1882 by Macmillan & Co.
who printed them until 1889, after which it was again published by Dickens and Evans through J. Smith.
In 1972, a facsimile of the 1879 edition was reprinted by Howard Baker Press (London), under the title Dickens's Dictionary of London, 1879: An Unconventional Handbook, ISBN 0-7030-0018-7.
Since 1993, a facsimile of the 1888 edition is reprinted by Old House Books (Devon), under the title Dickens's Dictionary of London, 1888: An Unconventional Handbook, ISBN 1-873590-04-0 (it is unclear whether the 1888 edition was chosen for its connection with the year of Jack the Ripper
, or if the later editions were considered inferior). The book was still in print .
The book was then updated and reprinted every year until the author's death, from 1880 to the final 1896 edition. His dictionaries had been picked up in 1882 by Macmillan & Co.
who printed them until 1889, after which it was again published by Dickens and Evans through J. Smith.
In 1972, a facsimile of the 1893 edition was reprinted by Taurus Press (Oxford), under the title Dickens's Dictionary of the Thames, 1893: An Unconventional Handbook With Maps, ISBN 0-903456-00-1.
Since 1994, a facsimile of the 1887 edition is reprinted by Old House Books (Devon), under the title Dickens's Dictionary of the Thames, 1887: An Unconventional Handbook, ISBN 1-873590-12-1(it is unclear whether the 1887 edition was chosen for its close connection with the year of Jack the Ripper
, or if the later editions were considered inferior). The book was still in print .
Commercialised works
Misc
Charles Dickens
Charles John Huffam Dickens was an English novelist, generally considered the greatest of the Victorian period. Dickens enjoyed a wider popularity and fame than had any previous author during his lifetime, and he remains popular, having been responsible for some of English literature's most iconic...
and his wife Catherine
Catherine Dickens
Catherine 'Kate' Thomson Dickens was the wife of English novelist Charles Dickens, with whom he fathered 10 children.-Marriage:...
. A failed businessman, he became the editor of his father's magazine All the Year Round
All the Year Round
All the Year Round was a Victorian periodical, being a British weekly literary magazine founded and owned by Charles Dickens, published between 1859 and 1895 throughout the United Kingdom. Edited by Dickens, it was the direct successor to his previous publication Household Words, abandoned due to...
, and a successful writer of dictionaries. He is now most remembered for his two 1879 books Dickens's Dictionary of London and Dickens's Dictionary of the Thames.
Biography
In 1837, Charles Dickens, Jr was born on 6 January, the first child of the novelist Charles DickensCharles Dickens
Charles John Huffam Dickens was an English novelist, generally considered the greatest of the Victorian period. Dickens enjoyed a wider popularity and fame than had any previous author during his lifetime, and he remains popular, having been responsible for some of English literature's most iconic...
and his then-wife Catherine Dickens
Catherine Dickens
Catherine 'Kate' Thomson Dickens was the wife of English novelist Charles Dickens, with whom he fathered 10 children.-Marriage:...
née Hogarth. He was called "Charley" by family and friends. In 1847, aged 10, he entered the junior department of King's College, London. He went to Eton College
Eton College
Eton College, often referred to simply as Eton, is a British independent school for boys aged 13 to 18. It was founded in 1440 by King Henry VI as "The King's College of Our Lady of Eton besides Wyndsor"....
, and studied business in Germany. In 1855, aged 18, he entered Barings Bank
Barings Bank
Barings Bank was the oldest merchant bank in London until its collapse in 1995 after one of the bank's employees, Nick Leeson, lost £827 million due to speculative investing, primarily in futures contracts, at the bank's Singapore office.-History:-1762–1890:Barings Bank was founded in 1762 as the...
. In 1858, after his parents' separation, he was the only child to live with his mother.Perdue, op. cit.
In 1861 he married Bessie Evans (Elisabeth Matilda Moule Evans, daughter of Frederick Evans, Dickens Sr's former publisher with whom he had had a falling out). They had 8 children: Mary Angela (1862–1946), Ethel Kate (1864–1936), Charles Walter (1865–1923), Sydney Margaret (1866–1955), Dorothy Gertrude (1868–1923), Beatrice (1869–1937), Cecil Mary (1871–1952), and Evelyn Bessie (1873–1924).
In 1866 he was appointed as the first Honorary Secretary of the Metropolitan Regatta
Metropolitan Regatta
The Metropolitan Regatta is an international rowing regatta. It takes place on Dorney Lake, Buckinghamshire near Eton next to the River Thames in southern England. It attracts crews from schools, clubs and universities from around the United Kingdom, Europe and the USA...
In 1869, aged 32, after a failed business venture, he was hired by Dickens Sr as sub-editor of All the Year Round
All the Year Round
All the Year Round was a Victorian periodical, being a British weekly literary magazine founded and owned by Charles Dickens, published between 1859 and 1895 throughout the United Kingdom. Edited by Dickens, it was the direct successor to his previous publication Household Words, abandoned due to...
. In 1870, after his father's death, Dickens Jr inherited the magazine and became its editor. At this time he also bought at auction Gads Hill Place
Gads Hill Place
Gads Hill Place in Higham, Kent, sometimes spelt Gadshill Place and Gad's Hill Place, was the country home of Charles Dickens, the most successful British author of the Victorian era....
, his father's Kent
Kent
Kent is a county in southeast England, and is one of the home counties. It borders East Sussex, Surrey and Greater London and has a defined boundary with Essex in the middle of the Thames Estuary. The ceremonial county boundaries of Kent include the shire county of Kent and the unitary borough of...
home, but he was forced to give it up in 1879 because of his own ill-health.
He wrote the introductions to many posthumous reprints of his father's books, such as Barnaby Rudge
Barnaby Rudge
Barnaby Rudge: A Tale of the Riots of Eighty is a historical novel by British novelist Charles Dickens. Barnaby Rudge was one of two novels that Dickens published in his short-lived weekly serial Master Humphrey's Clock...
and Little Dorrit
Little Dorrit
Little Dorrit is a serial novel by Charles Dickens published originally between 1855 and 1857. It is a work of satire on the shortcomings of the government and society of the period....
, providing biographical and bibliographical insights.
In 1879 he published (jointly with his father-in-law) the first editions of his two main dictionaries, Dickens's Dictionary of London and Dickens's Dictionary of the Thames. In 1882 his dictionaries were picked up by Macmillan & Co.
Macmillan Publishers
Macmillan Publishers Ltd, also known as The Macmillan Group, is a privately held international publishing company owned by Georg von Holtzbrinck Publishing Group. It has offices in 41 countries worldwide and operates in more than thirty others.-History:...
who also released his third dictionary, Dickens's Dictionary of Paris, delayed by verifications explained in its introduction.
In 1896, aged 59, Charles Dickens Jr died. He was buried on the same day as his younger sister Mary Dickens
Mary Dickens
Mary 'Mamie' Angela Dickens was the oldest daughter of English novelist Charles Dickens and his wife Catherine...
.
Dickens's Dictionary of London
The book was then updated and reprinted every year until the author's death, from 1880 (second year) to the final 1896–1897 edition (eighteenth year). His dictionaries had been picked up in 1882 by Macmillan & Co.
Macmillan Publishers
Macmillan Publishers Ltd, also known as The Macmillan Group, is a privately held international publishing company owned by Georg von Holtzbrinck Publishing Group. It has offices in 41 countries worldwide and operates in more than thirty others.-History:...
who printed them until 1889, after which it was again published by Dickens and Evans through J. Smith.
In 1972, a facsimile of the 1879 edition was reprinted by Howard Baker Press (London), under the title Dickens's Dictionary of London, 1879: An Unconventional Handbook, ISBN 0-7030-0018-7.
Since 1993, a facsimile of the 1888 edition is reprinted by Old House Books (Devon), under the title Dickens's Dictionary of London, 1888: An Unconventional Handbook, ISBN 1-873590-04-0 (it is unclear whether the 1888 edition was chosen for its connection with the year of Jack the Ripper
Jack the Ripper
"Jack the Ripper" is the best-known name given to an unidentified serial killer who was active in the largely impoverished areas in and around the Whitechapel district of London in 1888. The name originated in a letter, written by someone claiming to be the murderer, that was disseminated in the...
, or if the later editions were considered inferior). The book was still in print .
Dickens's Dictionary of the Thames
Dickens's Dictionary of the Thames, From Oxford to the Nore: An Unconventional Handbook is the second book of Charles Dickens, Jr. The "1880" edition was first published in London in 1879, by "Charles Dickens and Evans" (Dickens Jr and his father-in-law, publisher Frederick Evans). The next 1880 edition and further were slightly retitled to Dickens's Dictionary of the Thames, From Its Source to the Nore: An Unconventional Handbook.The book was then updated and reprinted every year until the author's death, from 1880 to the final 1896 edition. His dictionaries had been picked up in 1882 by Macmillan & Co.
Macmillan Publishers
Macmillan Publishers Ltd, also known as The Macmillan Group, is a privately held international publishing company owned by Georg von Holtzbrinck Publishing Group. It has offices in 41 countries worldwide and operates in more than thirty others.-History:...
who printed them until 1889, after which it was again published by Dickens and Evans through J. Smith.
In 1972, a facsimile of the 1893 edition was reprinted by Taurus Press (Oxford), under the title Dickens's Dictionary of the Thames, 1893: An Unconventional Handbook With Maps, ISBN 0-903456-00-1.
Since 1994, a facsimile of the 1887 edition is reprinted by Old House Books (Devon), under the title Dickens's Dictionary of the Thames, 1887: An Unconventional Handbook, ISBN 1-873590-12-1(it is unclear whether the 1887 edition was chosen for its close connection with the year of Jack the Ripper
Jack the Ripper
"Jack the Ripper" is the best-known name given to an unidentified serial killer who was active in the largely impoverished areas in and around the Whitechapel district of London in 1888. The name originated in a letter, written by someone claiming to be the murderer, that was disseminated in the...
, or if the later editions were considered inferior). The book was still in print .
External links
Public-domain online works- Full text of Dickens's Dictionary of London (1879, first year) at Victorian London.org – online pages, plus zipped Word file (3 MB)
Commercialised works
- Product page for Dickens's Dictionary of London, 1888 at Old House Books.co.uk
- Product page for Dickens's Dictionary of the Thames, 1887 at Old House Books.co.uk
Misc
- Dickens Jr's nomination paper for King's College filed by Dickens Sr and signed by Angela Burdett-Coutts – at Victorian WebVictorian WebThe Victorian Web is an online resource of information about the Victorian Era created at Brown University and at the University Scholars Program of the National University of Singapore....
