The principal aim of this book is to help the reader rediscover the places and characters associated with Charles Dickens, both in real life and in his novels, short stories and magazine articles. It will be especially enjoyed by those who, like the author, have held a life-long passion for Dickens’ writings, but it will also encourage new readers to delve deeper into the extraordinary world and its characters created by one of our greatest writers.

While the would-be explorer need travel no further from their favourite armchair, the book can also be used as a walking tour in some cases, taking his readers through present-day streets to find the places Dickens himself would have known well. In this way the reader is taken on a fascinating literary adventure through London, Kent, Yorkshire, the Midlands, the South of England, the West Country and East Anglia, their journey illuminated by over 200 photographs taken specially for the book, along with contemporary paintings and illustrations from Dickens’ original works created by the likes of George Cruikshank, Robert Seymour and Hablot Knight Browne.

Stephen Browning, the ultimate enthusiast, takes his readers by the hand to explore the same streets through which Dickens walked in Victorian times. Throughout, he provides a running commentary on the most famous of Dickens’ works, placing the stories and characters in their real-life locations, the houses, inns, streets, towns and cities that inspired the author’s wonderful imagination.

Stephen Browning was educated in Norfolk before gaining an honours degree in History from the University of Kent at Canterbury. After training as a teacher at the University of Birmingham School of Education, he spent much of his working life promoting teacher exchanges between the United Kingdom and the overseas Commonwealth. He also worked for the Council for Education in the Commonwealth. He has written extensively about best practice in education both in the UK and the 50-plus countries of the Commonwealth. He has written, or contributed to, a number of books about the English Language, mainly for the Asian market. He spends several months each year in Taiwan. His books for Halsgrove include: Discover Norwich; Norfolk: Exploring the Land of Wide Skies; Spirit of Norwich Cathedral (all with co-author Daniel Tink), and When Schooldays Were Fun.

Imprint: Halsgrove. ISBN 978 0 85704 126 5, hardback, 214x230mm, 144 pages. Published February 2012.