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In 1842, the young Dickens made a sweeping tour of the United States and Canada, visiting Boston, New York, Philadelphia, Washington, Baltimore, Pittsburg, Cincinatti, St. Louis, Niagra Falls, Montreal, and Quebec among other places. (He chose not to venture to the south, out of a repugnance for slavery.) This brief account of his travels begins with optimism and the usual Dickens eye for the comic. As it goes on, we begin to sense the weariness of the journey and the author's disappointment with what he found. We get a vivid picture of a nation still being built, quite literally in the case of frontier places. The fine introduction to the Penguin edition places this work in the context of English travel narratives of the time. This edition is also well footnoted and contains a sampling of letters Dickens wrote to friends at home, in which he is quite candid. Modern readers may find fascinating glimpses of American life at the time (such as the disgusting habit of spitting and the nastiness of the press), but may be less interested than the author was in prisons, courts, and other public institutions. Furthermore, some places are passed over cursorily, but this is to keep the journey moving along. (My favorite parts are the anecdotes about individual characters that Dickens meets while travelling.) As the introduction suggests, this book is as much about Dickens and his personal evolution as it is about America, despite the fact that Dickens does not speak extensively of the inconveniences he faced due to his fame. The trip was to inspire parts of "Martin Chuzzlewit" and must be taken in the context of Dickens' career - some of the views herein were moderated by a second trip to America later in life.

Disappointing memoir of Dickens' trip to the U.S. which he took during a twelve month break between BARNABY RUDGE and MARTIN CHUZZLEWIT. Dickens hated the national arrogance, the shrill politics and, especially, the hypocrisy of slavery paraded under the banner of the Declaration of Independence. Yet his commentary on it all, as laid down here, is generally circumspect and often flippant. It's as if he was concerned about giving too much offense. Perhaps he felt too exposed without the cloak of fiction to allow his imagination free reign to picture what he really saw. In the end what we have is a compromised account which pleased no one, not the Americans nor the fans of his social satire. There are good bits: the initial passage across a stormy Atlantic, the persistent disgust with the fade of chewing tobacco. And the Penguin edition has a useful introduction and notes, most of which refer to the influence of the American sojourn on MARTIN CHUZZLEWIT. The American sections of that novel are exteme, pointed, undoubtedly unfair and utterly unforgettable. They are Dickens' true American notes.

Someone please pick up this book! I've already mentioned it to two of my English professor who knew almost nothing about what I consider a true classic. Just because there is no movie to accompany it does not mean it should'nt be read for fear of confusing a public accustomed to Dickens' supposed "classics". Please take the time to open one of my favorite books. I am sure it will surprise and delight you. Remember, a "classic" is what we make of it!