England: The Journeys of Charles Dickens

Widely considered to be England's greatest novelist, Charles Dickens was a mere 24 years old when he published his first novel The Pickwick Papers in 1837, which turned out to be an auspicious date in Great Britain's history for another reason as well: it marked the inauguration of 18-year-old Queen Victoria's reign. The essential chronicler of the Victorian Age, Dickens would produce 14 completed novels (among them such classics as Oliver Twist, David Copperfield, and Great Expectations) and numerous stories--many of which tackled the social ills brought on by the Industrial Revolution--before his death at the age of 58 in 1870. In this edition of The Greatest Journeys on Earth series, viewers learn about the man and his works while visiting many of the places he either resided in, frequented, or immortalized in his fiction, including the Marshalsea Prison, where his father was incarcerated for debt while the young Dickens labored in a blacking factory ("lost childhood" would be one of Dickens' most recurrent themes); Gad's Hill (the house he was in awe of as a child and purchased as an adult); and the small resort town of Broadstairs (Dickens' "holiday" home, which holds an annual Dickens Festival). Other sights include London's Royal Albert Hall, the botanical paradise Kew Gardens, and Buckingham Palace, where Dickens would visit with the Queen three months before he died. Sure to appeal to literature and history buffs as well as armchair and actual travelers, this is recommended. Other titles in the series include: Japan: Journeys on the Tokaïdo, Quebec: Journeys of the Trappers, and Austria: Journeys Through the Salt Mines. Aud: H, C, P. (R. Pitman)