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Charles Dickens

Madeline House and Graham Storey (eds), The British Academy/The Pilgrim Edition of the Letters of Charles Dickens, Vol. 1: 1820–1839

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To W. WILSON, [30 AUGUST 1837]*

MS Berg Collection.2 Date: the Wednesday before To Morgan, 3 Sep, which refers to these instructions.

Doughty St. Wednesday night

Dear Sir

I send you several accepted papers for the Miscellany; and as there are a good many of them, I will tell you at once for your guidance, what I want set up first for the next No.3

  1. 1. The Poisoners of the 17th. Century.4

  2. 2. An Excellent Offer.5

  3. 3. Autobiography of a good Joke.6

  4. 4. The Secret.7

  5. 5. Dr. Maginn's8 paper.9

  6. 6. The Man with the club-foot.10

pg 301Of these, I want proofs of Nos. 2, 3, 4, & 6 sent to Mr. Cruikshank, Myddleton Terrace Pentonville, as soon as you can conveniently get them worked,1 as he is very anxious to select his subjects for illustration. I am going out of town for a few days,2 and these instructions will keep you employed and the Miscellany progressing, until I return.

As my own paper3 will not occupy the first sheet next month, you can make up if you please (as far as these papers go) regularly on from the commencement of the No., sending proofs to my house as usual.

  •                                              Faithfully Yours
  • To                                        (signed) Charles Dickens
  • Mr. Wilson

The green-covered book at the bottom of the packet, is the translation which Mr. Bentley wants, for the purpose of returning to Mr. Miles.4

Notes Settings

Notes

Editor’s Note
2 Office copy, in unknown hand, among Bentley's papers.
Editor’s Note
3 The six papers following were printed in this order in the Oct No. (Miscellany, ii, 322–81).
Editor’s Note
4 The second of George Hogarth's series.
Editor’s Note
5 By "Marmaduke Blake" (Marmaduke Blake Sampson, d. 1875, City editor of The Times 1848–73).
Editor’s Note
6 By Charles Mackay.
Editor’s Note
7 Translated from Paul de Kock.
Editor’s Note
8 William Maginn (1793–1842; DNB)—"bright, broken Maginn" (Lockhart) —Irish writer and journalist, said to be the original of Thackeray's dissolute Captain Shandon in Pendennis. Wrote Prologue for the first number of the Miscellany, also a series of "Shakespeare Papers". Co-founder of Fraser's Magazine 1830 and wrote most of "A Gallery of Illustrious Literary Characters" 1830–8. Damaged his journalistic reputation and lost friends by writing simultaneously for the Tory Age and the Radical True Sun. Towards the end of his life was imprisoned for debt; afterwards declared bankrupt and died in great poverty. His supposed relations with Letitia Landon were responsible for the breaking of her engagement to Forster.
Editor’s Note
9 No. iv of his Shakespeare Papers: Midsummer Night's Dream—Bottom, the Weaver.
Editor’s Note
10 By H. Downing.
Editor’s Note
1 Underlined twice.
Editor’s Note
2 To Broadstairs.
Editor’s Note
3 "Full Report of the First Meeting of the Mudfog Association for the Advancement of Everything", Miscellany, 397–413, the first of CD's two satires on the British Association's annual meetings. For the second, see To Forster, ?Aug 38, fn.
Editor’s Note
4 Probably Henry Downes Miles (1806–89), who translated two novels by Eugène Sue. He published a Life of Grimaldi, 1838, and books on field-sports and boxing.
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