Dickensblog

Dickens the magician

You may know that Dickens was a skilled amateur magician, but do you know what some of his favorite magic tricks were? Literary Hub has the scoop!

Dickens in the 'New York Times'

Robert Fairhurst-Douglas's new book on Dickens, recently reviewed in The New Yorker, today was reviewed in the New York Times. 

Dickens in 1851

Robert Douglas-Fairhurst's new book The Turning Point: 1851 -- A Year That Changed Charles Dickens and the World has just had its U.S. release. Literary Hub has an excerpt, and The New Yorker has a lengthy and thoughtful review (with one or two incorrect details) by Louis Menand. 

Dickens code cracked!

Diligent decoders have finally solved the mystery of Dickens's "Tavistock letter," which turned out to be about ... advertising. Apologies to all who were hoping for something more exciting! BBC News has the story of how the code was cracked and who earned the reward for cracking it. 

It was the best of staches, it was the worst of staches

Check out this rare photo of Dickens trying out the mustachioed look in the 1850s, which recently went on display at the Dickens Museum!

Jewish perspectives on 'A Christmas Carol'

Seth Rogovoy at Forward offers an intriguing survey of different Jewish interpretations of Dickens's story. 

Touched by an angel

Could Dickens have had some angelic pushback on his Carol? James Cary's witty article in the Church Times speculates on the possibility!

Need a cocktail for Christmas?

Dickens has you covered! Here's his punch recipe, courtesy of Gastro Obscura.

A letter for sale

On December 15, Christie's will auction off a particularly "colorful" letter written by Dickens about a dinner gone wrong during one of his Christmas Carol reading tours. Click here for details!

Decode Dickens and win a prize!

The Dickens Code Project is offering £300 to whoever can decipher the "Tavistock letter," a letter Dickens wrote in his own "messy" personal version of shorthand. The Daily Mail has the details! Thanks to Rachel McMillan for the tip.