This is the standard reference guide to the works of Charles Dickens. The material is arranged alphabetically, in dictionary style, and provides a quick means of reference to the plots of the novels and to all the characters and places mentioned in the novels. There are also useful explanatory notes on allusions and phrases.

The story of Charles Dickens's life is a truly remarkable rags-to-riches tale. His father's bankruptcy and imprisonment led to Dickens working in a blacking factory at an early age. These humble beginnings were to become a major influence upon his life and his writings. Dickens became a sensation in his own time and his legacy lives on. His books sold in tens of thousands. Audiences flocked to see him when he performed public readings of his works, inciting "Bozmania." Venues became sold out, touts sold tickets at inflated prices, and women fainted at his thrilling recitals. He went on to conquer America and commanded great fees for his performances. This long overdue republication, from 1902, chronologically records the events in the life of the "Inimitable Boz." We discover that he was not just an author but also an actor, publisher, journalist, editor, public reader, art critic, political economist and social reformer. We learn about the characters in his books; who inspired them and uncover something of the personality of Dickens himself. He was a meticulous workaholic with a desire not to be poor again and it was this desire that ultimately killed him. About the author Frederic George Kitton (1856-1904) was born in Norwich, England. At the age of seventeen he moved to London and joined the staff of The Graphic as an apprentice. He became a skilled etcher and contributed to artistic journals before becoming an author. Kitton was one of the founders of the Dickens Fellowship and most of his publications relate to the life and works of Charles Dickens including "Dickensiana: A Bibliography of the Literature Relating to Charles Dickens and His Writings" as well as annotating the "Rochester" edition of "Dickens's Works."

Who's Who in Dickens is an accessible guide to the many characters in Charles Dickens' fiction. Dickens' characters are strikingly portrayed and have become a vital part of our cultural heritage - Scrooge has become a by-word for stinginess, Uriah Heep for unctuousness. From the much loved Oliver Twist to the fact-grubbing Mr Gradgrind, the obstinate Martin Chuzzlewit to the embittered Miss Havisham, this book covers the famous and lesser known characters in Dickens. The book contains a physical and psychological profile of each character, a critical look at his characters by past and present influential commentators and over forty illustrations of major characters drawn by Dickens' contemporaries.

This volume examines the hotel experience of Anglo-American travelers in the nineteenth century from the viewpoint of literary and cultural studies as well as spatiality theory. Focusing on the social and imaginary space of the hotel in fiction, periodicals, diaries, and travel accounts, the essays shed new light on nineteenth-century notions of travel writing. Analyzing the liminal space of the hotel affords a new way of understanding the freedoms and restrictions felt by travelers from different social classes and nations. As an environment that forced travelers to reimagine themselves or their cultural backgrounds, the hotel could provide exhilarating moments of self-discovery or dangerous feelings of alienation. It could prove liberating to the tourist seeking an escape from prescribed gender roles or social class constructs. The book addresses changing notions of nationality, social class, and gender in a variety of expansive or oppressive hotel milieu: in the private space of the hotel room and in the public spaces (foyers, parlors, dining areas). Sections address topics including nationalism and imperialism; the mundane vs. the supernatural; comfort and capitalist excess; assignations, trysts, and memorable encounters in hotels; and women’s travels. The book also offers a brief history of inns and hotels of the time period, emphasizing how hotels play a large role in literary texts, where they frequently reflect order and disorder in a personal and/or national context. This collection will appeal to scholars in literature, travel writing, history, cultural studies, and transnational studies, and to those with interest in travel and tourism, hospitality, and domesticity.

This volume examines hotels, inns, restaurants, and travelling on luxurious trains and ships. The volume also explores social rituals, consumer culture, and issues of class and gender as well as the institutions of travelling for health, education, or any other purpose.