Charles Dickens, The Posthumous Papers of the Pickwick Club, containing a faithful record of the Perambulations, Perils, Travels, Adventures and Sporting Transactions of the Corresponding Members

Oliver Tearle (University of Loughborough)

The Literary Encyclopedia. Volume 1.2.1.07: English Writing and Culture of the Victorian Period, 1837-1901.
Vol. editors: Gillian Fenwick (University of Toronto), Jessica Gossling (Goldsmiths College, University of London)

Dates

First circulation or publication 1837

Places

England (Country of Origin)

Genres and Modes

Comedy
Novel

Resources

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The Pickwick Papers

, full title

The Posthumous Papers of the Pickwick Club, containing a faithful record of the Perambulations, Perils, Travels, Adventures and Sporting Transactions of the Corresponding Members

, was published in twenty monthly instalments between April 1836 and November 1837. That it was popular is an understatement: after modest initial sales, it went on to sell, at its height, some 40,000 copies each month. By the end of its run, there were various Pickwick spin-offs, tie-ins, and memorabilia, such as Pickwick hats, coats, and cigars, as well as numerous stage productions concerning the adventures of the “Pickwickians”.

At the time of the appearance of the first instalment – on 31 March 1836, priced one shilling, packaged in green wrappers, with 32 pages of print

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2624 words

Citation: Tearle, Oliver. "The Posthumous Papers of the Pickwick Club, containing a faithful record of the Perambulations, Perils, Travels, Adventures and Sporting Transactions of the Corresponding Members". The Literary Encyclopedia. First published 12 July 2006 [https://www.litencyc.com/php/sworks.php?rec=true&UID=7430, accessed 24 April 2024.]

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