A Book Recommendation

I have been re-reading Death and Mr Pickwick, by Stephen Jarvis, which deals with the evolution of British caricature and the origins of The Pickwick Papers. Jarvis presents, in the format of a novel, the theory that the artist Robert Seymour invented the character of Pickwick, and not Charles Dickens. I had come across the work of Seymour myself in 2016, as I was working on Scrooge Studies, and wondered about his influence on Dickens. I later had the good fortune to make the online acquaintance of Mr. Jarvis, who is much more knowledgable on the subject. Jarvis's arguments are quite compelling, and Death and Mr Pickwick ultimately influenced my illustrations for A Christmas Carol in a pretty significant way.

Even though I've read it before, Jarvis's writing is so fresh and engaging that it still feels new. There are numerous gems of phrases and sentences that have prompted me to start putting little paper sticky-flags in the margins, so that I can go back and find those anecdotes and pieces of language more easily.

And a little before page 200, I realized something - I was so pulled in to the story that I had forgotten I was reading a book.

Now that's some good writing.

As we approach Christmas, it's my distinct pleasure to recommend Mr. Jarvis's book. You don't need to have read The Pickwick Papers before, or to have previous knowledge of Dickens, to enjoy the book, but if you do know of any fans of The Pickwick Papers, Charles Dickens, or nineteenth-century Britain generally, this book would be an excellent Christmas gift.

You can find Death and Mr Pickwick online at Amazon (https://www.amazon.com/Pickwick-Stephen-Jarvis-21-May-2015-Hardcover/dp/B011T884CW/ref=sr_1_2?s=books&ie=UTF8&qid=1544648845&sr=1-2&keywords=death+and+mr+pickwick), Barnes & Noble (https://www.barnesandnoble.com/w/death-and-mr-pickwick-stephen-jarvis/1120160537?ean=9781250094667) and at many brick-and-mortar bookstores.

I have neither received nor sought any compensation for the above endorsement.