Evening star. [volume] (Washington, D.C.) 1854-1972, 1858-05-07
,DICKENS's STORYOF THE ORIGIN OF
7 RlCkWIC

NJ
Mr.. Dickens has latterly been issuing what ia
called a popular edition of his works. in which
ne treats us to this little account of the origin
Of Pickwick:
81 was young man Of three and twenty
when the present publishers attracted by SOME
pieces L was at that time writing in the Morn
ing Chronicle newspaper, (of which one series
had been collected and published in two VOL
umes Illustrated by my esteemed friend, Mr..
Geo Cruikshank, } waited upon me to propose a
something that should be published in shilling
numbers-then only known to me, or believe
to any body else, by dim recollection of GER
tain interminable novels in that form which
used to be carried about the country by ped
lers, and over some of which 1 remember to
have shed innumerable tears before | had
served my apprenticeship to Fife --
O. When opened my door in Furnival's Inn
to the managing partner who epresented the
firm, recognized in him the person from whose
hands had bought, two or three years previ-
ously, and whom 1 had never seen before or
since, my first copy of tho magazine in which
my first offusiOn-drOpped stealthily one even
ing at twilight, with fear and trembling, into a
dark letter box, i'll a dark Office UP a dark
court in Fleet stroet-appcared in all the glory
OF prlnt; on which memorable occasiOn-h how
well L recollect it.-I walked down to West
minister Hall and turned into it for half an
hour, because my eyos were so dilnmed with
JOY and pride that they could not bear the
street. and were not fit to be seen there 1 told
my visitor OF the coincidence, which We both
hailed rs good omen, and so fell to business
Z" Tho idea prOpounded to me was that the
monthly something should be a vehicle for cer-
tain plates to be executed by Mr.. Seymour;
and there was a notion, other on the part of
that admirable humorous artist or of my visitor
Il forget which), that 'Nimrcd Club, the
members OF which were to go out shooting, fish
8
difficulties through their want OF dexterity,
would be the best means Of introducing these
L objected, on consideration, that, although
born and partly bred in the country, was no
great sportsman, except in regard of all kinds
OF locomotlon that the idea was not novel
and had been already much used that il
would he infinitely better for the plates 10 arise
naturally ou OF the text; and that / should
like to take my own way, with freer range Of
English scenes and people. and wa, afraid
should ultimately do 80 in any case, whatever
course L might prescribe TO nyself at starting
My views being deferred to, | thought of Mr.
Pickwick, and wrote the first number from
the proofsheets Of which MIR. Seymour made
his drawing of the Club and that happy pOr-
trait of Its founder by which he is always rec
ognised, and which may be said to have made
him reality. | connected Mr. Pickwick with
club because Of the original suggestion and
L put IN MIR. Wrinkle expressly for the use of
Mr.. Seymour. We started with a number of
twenty-four pages instead of thirty-two, and
four illustrations in lieu of a couple. Mr.. Sey-
mOur's sudden and lamented death before the
second number was published brought about a
quick decision upon point already in agita-
ton; the number became one of thirty two
pages, with two Illustrations, and remained so
to the end. My friends told me it was low,
cheap form of publication, by which / should
ruin all my rising hopes and how right my
friends turned out to be everybody now knows.
80 Boz, my signatu in the Morning Chron-
icle, appended to the monthly cover of this
book, and retained long afterward, was the
| nickname of a pet child, a younger brother,
whom l had dubbed Moses, in honor Of the
Vicar of Wakefield, which, being facetiously
pronounced through the nose. became Bosses
very familiar household word to Inc long be-
fore was an author, and 80 1 came to adopt
it."