The Life of Charles Dickens: The Illustrated Edition (The Illustrated Editions)
John Forster's biography of Charles Dickens was the first written, and still is the basis for much of what we know about the author. The two men met in 1837, and Forster soon became Dickens' close friend and adviser. (In fact, Dickens modeled the character of John Podsnap inOur Mutual Friendon Forster.) Forster saw the manuscripts of nearly all of Dickens' novels before publication, and Dickens appointed him as his literary executor. Forster's biography contains many examples of personal correspondence between him and Dickens, and offers unique insight into one of the most influential writers in Western Literature.