Pen Photographs of Charles Dickens's Readings Taken from Life

Kate Field, a journalist, actress, and lecturer once referred to in the Washington Post as the "foremost woman in America, " was so moved by Charles Dickens's readings in Boston and New York that she decided to write an account that would allow those unable to attend as close to the first-hand experience of seeing Dickens perform as possible. Her initial attempt in 1968, a 38 page pamphlet, proved to be so successful that she decided to expand it into a book, Pen Photographs. Her own narrative skills were impressive enough to allow readers the "virtual reality" of seeing Dickens perform. The book was published in the U.S. in 1871 and, despite its popularity, was reprinted. Few copies of the original are known to exist. Moss provides the original text, and engravings, and a brief introduction.