Phiz: The Man Who Drew Dickens

New
Paperback
2006
$9.56

Phiz' - Hablot Knight Browne - was the great illustrator of Dickens' fiction. For over twenty-three years they worked together, and Phiz's drawings brought to life a galaxy of much-loved characters, from Mr Pickwick, Nicholas Nickleby and Mr Micawber, to Little Nell and David Copperfield. But, from the mystery of his birth onwards, Phiz himself led a life as rich as any novel. In this vivid, lively memoir - the first full biography, long-awaited by Victorian scholars - his great-great-granddaughter Valerie Browne Lester tracks the struggles of the abandoned Browne family and follows Phiz's path to marriage and fame, his travels around England and Ireland and work with Dickens, Lever, Trollope and others, and his colourful private life. Based on a mass of unpublished material, this enchanting book, packed with surprising and delicious illustrations, is a perfect present for all who love Dickens and enjoy the hidden byways of Victorian life.

Synopsis

Phiz' - Hablot Knight Browne - was the great illustrator of Dickens' fiction. For over twenty-three years they worked together, and Phiz's drawings brought to life a galaxy of much-loved characters, from Mr Pickwick, Nicholas Nickleby and Mr Micawber, to Little Nell and David Copperfield. But, from the mystery of his birth onwards, Phiz himself led a life as rich as any novel. In this vivid, lively memoir - the first full biography, long-awaited by Victorian scholars - his great-great-granddaughter Valerie Browne Lester tracks the struggles of the abandoned Browne family and follows Phiz's path to marriage and fame, his travels around England and Ireland and work with Dickens, Lever, Trollope and others, and his colourful private life. Based on a mass of unpublished material, this enchanting book, packed with surprising and delicious illustrations, is a perfect present for all who love Dickens and enjoy the hidden byways of Victorian life.

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More Information

Format: Paperback
Pages: 288
Edition: New e.
Publisher: Pimlico
Published: 06 Apr 2006
ISBN 10: 1844135349
ISBN 13: 9781844135349
Book Overview: The first full biography of Dickens's most famous illustrator. Full of his irresistible drawings, it also provides a vivid and colourful picture of the Victorian age.

Media Reviews

* 'A fresh and readable account of a world long vanished. The bustling life of the early 19th century has disappeared, but it is infinitely recoverable in the etchings and drawings of Phiz himself.' - Peter Ackroyd, The Times * 'Quirkily written and full of engaging detail, this book is a beguiling contribution to mid-Victorian studies.' - D. J. Taylor, Sunday Times * 'A labour of love: Lester is the subject's great-great-granddaughter, and her affection spills out on every page.' - Robert Douglas-Fairhurst, Daily Telegraph * 'Everything in this biography made me want to know Phiz better.' - Caroline Moore, Sunday Telegraph

Author Bio

Valerie Browne Lester, the great-great-granddaughter of Phiz, is a journalist, poet and playwright, and former university lecturer at George Washington University. She is the author of Fasten Your Seatbelts! History and Heroism in the Pan Am Cabin and lives in Maryland, USA.