The National Edition of the Works of Charles Dickens. Vols.
XXXV.-XXXVI. (Chapman and Hall. 10s. 6d. net per vol.)- These two volumes, for which Mr. B. W. Matz furnishes a brief introduction, represent a great amount of labour. This has been chiefly spent in identifying various essays and papers contributed by Dickens to the Examiner (1838-1849), Household Words (1850- 1859), and All the Year Round (1859-1869). These number in all a hundred and sixteen, of which eighty-three belong to the House- hold Words section. Dickens used to "edit" the work of his con- tributors in a very thoroughgoing fashion. He collaborated frequently with others, and he was often very felicitously imitated by younger writers. All this has made the work of selection difficult. It was impossible to place reliance upon the results of the Higher Criticism, if the phrase may be applied. External evidence has been required before any piece has been assigned to Dickens's pen, and the collaborated writings have not been included. There can be no doubt that in this collection a very valuable addition has been made to the Dickens literature. After the miscellanies come six plays. Hero the fact of collabora- tion has not barred inclusion. The dramatic side was so large a part of Dickens's intellectual equipment that this part of his work had to be recognised. The first four of the " Plays " were entirely by him. These are The Strange Gentleman (1836), The Village Coquettes (1836), Is She His Wife? (1837), The Lamplighter (1838). These, it will be observed, are early, the date of the "Pickwick Papers" being 1837. Mr. Nightingale's Diary (1837) was the joint work of Charles Dickens and Mark Lemon, and No Thoroughfare (a far snore elaborate composition, "a drama in five acts ") of Charles Dickens and Wilkie Collins. It was acted at the New Royal Adelphi, June 26th, 1867. Here are the names of three of the performers : Benjamin Webster, Fechter, and Carlotta Leclercq. Finally, we have the "Poems," nineteen in all, the first being "Time Ivy Green" (to be found in " Pickwick "). As set to music by Henry Russell it had a prodigious success. Mr. Russell received ten shillings. (The music pirates are a little like Robin Hood with his very rough justice.) In the few cases where Dickens tried serious verse, he was not successful, witness "The Greek Slave." On the other hand, he was in his element in such a jeu d'esprit as "The Blacksmith." Here is one of the stanzas :- "Re has shoes that are worn by strangers, Yet he laugheth and maketh more ;
And a share (concealed) in the poor man's field, Yet it adds to the poor man's store."
This is now for the first time attributed to its author.
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