Charles Dickens (1812-1870)

Charles Dickens, pen-name "Boz", was the most popular English novelist of the Victorian era, as well as a vigorous social campaigner. The popularity of Dickens's novels and short stories has meant that they have never gone out of print.

Many of Charles Dickens' novels first appeared in periodicals and magazines in serialized form and he often composed his works in parts, in the order in which they were meant to appear. Such a practice lent his stories a particular rhythm, punctuated by one minor cliffhanger after another, to keep the public looking forward to the next installment.