The Letters of Charles Dickens. Vol. 2, 1857-1870

This volume opens a window onto the bustling middle years of one of the era’s most vibrant writers. Through dozens of letters to family, friends, and fellow artists, listeners hear a man juggling the renovation of his new home at Gad’s Hill, the birth of his latest novel, and the everyday concerns of a busy household. The correspondence captures his humor, his anxieties about publishing, and the tender affection he shows toward his children and sister‑in‑law.

The letters also trace his growing public persona: organizing benefit performances for a late colleague, pioneering the popular public readings that would become his hallmark, and traveling the north alongside a fellow novelist on a light‑hearted “lazy tour.” Interwoven are snapshots of his social circle—visits from celebrated writers, meetings with royal patrons, and the excitement of his son’s departure for India. Together they paint a vivid portrait of a literary giant navigating both fame and family in Victorian England.