Charles Dickens in America. William Glyde Wilkins

      The writer, on reading American Notes and Dickens's letters from America in the volumes of his collected letters and his letters to Forster, printed in the latter's Life of Charles Dickens, has always been struck with two things: his very severe criticism of the American newspapers in 1842, and his bitterness on the subject of International Copyright. In order to satisfy himself as to the justness of Dickens's opinions at the time the book and letters were written, he has collected extracts from the newspapers of nearly every city which the Author visited during his first trip to the United States. These were so interesting, as giving the Presswriters' accounts of the visit, and their opinions of the Author personally, that the collection was further extended to include anything that could be found in print, by American writers, relating to the visit — some written during the time of the visit and some later.

      Mr. Philip Hone, who was one of the committee which entertained Dickens in New York, kept a diary from 1828 to 1850, which was published in 1889 by Bodd, Mead"& Co., New York; and " Four Months with Charles Dickens during his First Visit to America: By his Secretary," published in the Atlantic Monthly shortly after Dickens's death — both contain much interesting matter relating to Dickens's first visit. One or two private diaries have been discovered containing references to Dickens which have never been published. All this material, much of which has been buried in the files of old newspapers for nearly seventy years, and in other places for a shorter time, has proved so interesting to the writer that he has ventured to arrange it in the order in which Dickens made his first American tour; and he hopes those who have read Dickens's own account of the trip will be equally interested in reading another account written by American writers. He has allowed these American writers to tell the story, with a few words here and there of his own to make the account a connected one. He has also collected a large number of contemporary engravings of the places mentioned in American Notes, and of hotels in which he lodged, which he believes are of equal interest with the text, many of which are reproduced.

      The readers can draw their own conclusions as to the justice of Dickens's opinions and criticisms of the Press and people of the United States in 1842.

      The account of the dinner given to Dickens by the Press of the United States, in New York in 1868, has also been included, as it contains so many beautiful tributes to the author by such famous editors and writers of the time as Horace Greeley, George William Curtis, Henry J. Raymond, William Henry Hurlbert and others, most of whom have passed away. These speeches have never been printed except in the newspapers immediately after the dinner, and the writer believes they should be preserved in more permanent and accessible form, which is the reason for their being included in this book.

      WILLIAM GLYDE WILKINS.

      Pittsburgh (Pa.), U.S.A., August, 1911.