Coffee with Dickens

by Paul Schlicke

Book Overview

Charles Dickens was the 19th-century equivalent of a pop superstar and an undisputed genius whose novels have remained enduringly popular. This quiet talk with his ghost (which takes place at the inn... This description may be from another edition of this product.

• Format: Hardcover
• Language: English
• ISBN: 1844836088
• ISBN13: 9781844836086
• Release Date: March 2008
• Publisher: Duncan Baird
• Length: 144 Pages
• Weight: 0.85 lbs.
• Dimensions: 0.8" x 4.6" x 5.6"

Customer Reviews

SHARING THOUGHTS WITH CHARLIE OVER SOME JOE

Imagine sharing a cup o' Joe with some of history's greatest authors, spiritual leaders, philosophers and stage and screen stars. It can be done. Sort of. The Dickens tome is one in a series of "Coffee With . . ." titles that brings the rich and famous (and dead) back to life. These completely different bios us imaginary conversations, offering readers the once-in-a-lifetime chance to converse and caffeinate with the likes of Dickens, Plato, Hemingway, Shakespeare, Einstein, Aristotle and Monroe (Marilyn, not James). They are little books big on gimmicks and delightfully entertaining. We like to think of the tomes as literary ways to buck the stars.

COFFEE WITH DICKENS

I ENJOYED...AND STILL ENJOY READING THIS SMALL SIZE BOOK BECAUSE IT FITS IN A JACKET POCKET..AN EASY WAY TO ENJOY FREE TIME AS A SUBTITUTE TEACHER BETWEEN CLASSES...AND A GREAT WARM-UP FOR CLASSES I AM NOT FAMILIAR WITH. THE PRINT AND PAGE LAY-OUT IS PREFECT FOR THE READER NOT TO RECEIVE "TIRED EYES". AND IT IS A WELL FORMATED BOOK BASED ON A REAL PERSON IN FICTION FORM. FROM CHILDHOOD TO VICTORIAN WORLD OF AFFAIRS. THANKS FOR THE INVITE TO REVIEW...TAH TAH FIGART "THE SUB"

Good addition for Dickens fans

Bought for my wife's collection of Dickens related literature. So far she is enjoying the read.

A Conversation with the Spirit of Charles Dickens Past

This is a short and charming book that is part of a series that Duncan Baird is publishing. There are also Coffee with books about Shakespeare, Oscar Wilde, Michelangelo and Groucho. Imagine a traveller in Cobham, Kent, in the summer of 1870. He sees a charming inn called the Leather Bottle on the side of the road and decides to stop in for a cup of coffee or a pint of porter. And there he meets the ghost of Charles Dickens, dead these seven weeks. And why not? Dickens himself has taught us that spirits can do anything. And so begins a delightful and informative conversation between a stranger and Charles Dickens. We are privileged to listen in on the conversation that ensues. The stranger has quite a knowledge of Dickens's life and works. Almost as much as a Senior Lecturer in English at a major university would have. Asking insightful questions he chats with Dickens about important questions about his life and his career - (over a bowl of steaming punch - the coffee of the title is never served.) The first thing one notes from the conversation is how friendly and engaging Dickens is. He puts the stranger totally at ease. Which, according to a foreword by Peter Ackroyd, is exactly what the historic Charles Dickens would have done. Dickens would jump from subject to subject and this little book records brief conversations between the Inimitable and the traveller about literature, the theatre, creative writing, religion, travelling, America, social issues, education, politics and the author's love of walking. It also touches on his illustrators, his publishers, his circle of friends and the women in his life. Not a word about Ellen Ternan of course. Few people knew about her in 1870 and although the traveller starts to ask about rumours he has heard, the Inimitable promptly quotes himself and declares the whispered rumours to be abominably false. Unfortunately, the one question that I hoped the traveller would ask Dickens is never asked. And so we never hear what Dickens's spirit would have said about what really happened to Edwin Drood.

Coffee? With Dickens?

Having coffee with Dickens? What larks! This little book is just right! Short enough to finish with a pot of coffee and long enough to touch on fifteen major points in the life of the famous Victorian author including such tantalizing topics as 'An Inky Quill Pen and Two Dueling Toads', 'A Paltry, Wretched, Miserable Sum', 'The Attraction of Repulsion' and 'Why Oliver Asked For More'. Acclaimed novelist Peter Ackroyd provides the forward, filled with the compelling `aroma' of what is to come...what would it be like to speak to Dickens? Paul Schlicke, Senior Lecturer in English at the University of Aberdeen and current chairman of the Board of Trustees of The Charles Dickens Museum in London, addresses that question after giving us an informative introduction and `Life in Short', providing a solid foundation for the conversation to follow. Written as a chance encounter at the Leather Bottle, a favorite watering hole of Dickens featured in the Pickwick Papers, a stranger invites the ghost of Dickens, 'shades of Jacob Marley', to share a coffee...or something stronger, and engages him in a lively and telling exchange. Dickens doesn't miss a beat, answering each question with the exuberance and vivacity he was known for as evidenced by his letters, speeches and essays. He remains in character throughout, refusing to comment on his affair with Ellen Ternan and chiding the interviewer severely for even asking. Each major point in his life is sufficiently covered just enough to whet the reader's appetite for, "More, please!" and the author does supply further resources in the back for those desiring a 'refill'. Dr. Schlicke has kept the book light and airy and at the same time provided us with a fundamental understanding and insight into the life of this 'Inimitable' man. So pour yourself a cup of coffee, sit back and enjoy! B. A. Zimmerman, Philadelphia Dickens Fellowship, February 7, 2008