Charles Dickens

the long version

"Stephen Leacock (1869-1944) shares the stage with Charles Dickens and Mark Twain as one of the best-loved humorists in the English-speaking world, and at the time of its original publication, Leacock's biography of Dickens was widely and enthusiastically hailed as a vital, grand, and masterful examination of the man and his writing." "That Leacock's biography of the great novelist was the first to explore the humour of Dickens' novels is only natural. Originally published in 1933, it is filled with sharp commentary and was a book that Leacock was enormously and justifiably proud." "Of Leacock's masterful recounting of the life of Dickens, the New York Times wrote, "There is wit in this book, and such sprightliness as only a Stephen Leacock could inject into it." Readable, entertaining, and insightful, this biography is a classic work, admirable for both its subject and author. Book jacket."--Jacket.