Happy 200th Birthday, Charles Dickens

Author Charles Dickens was born on February 7, 1812, in Portsmouth, England. He is responsible for some of the most popular literature written in the English language, including Great Expectations, A Tale of Two Cities, Bleak House, Oliver Twist, Hard Times, and A Christmas Carol.

Many of his works were published first as installments or "parts" which were wildly popular at the time of their publication. "Everyone read them," said Melissa S. Mead, director of the Digital Projects Research Center. "There are stories of people waiting on the docks in New York for the final installments of The Old Curiosity Shop to arrive, shouting to the boats, 'Did Little Nell die?'"

The Rare Books and Special Collections Library is home to several significant items of Dickensian interest, including first editions of the serialized Bleak House and Pickwick Papers, several books from Dickens' personal library, and letters written by Dickens to then-New York State Governor William Henry Seward and Elisha Bartlett, a physician, professor of medicine, and poet whose family papers are owned by the University.