Nicolas
Bentley, the book's esteemed editor, had an unusual career. He drew pictures for
books like TS Eliot's famous "Old Possum's Book of Practical Cats" and
was known as a humorist. In "The Dickens Index," not one of his illustrations
are shown. It is, instead, demonstrating his great breadth as a renaissance man.
You
won't buy the book because of Bentley's skill as an artist or sense of humor.
It is a research tool.
If
you'd like to understand Charles Dickens' novels or his shorter fiction, this
is it. If you want to understand the people and researchers surrounding Dickens
as he lived, then this is it. If you are curious about the unusual words, now
obselete but used by Dickens, you'll find it here. All of the characters in Dicken's
writing. or alluded to by him are in here too.
Each
entry is no more than 200 words. Look up 'ensign', 'eggs-hot' and "evil...
dies with the doer of it," and learn what an ensign does, what eggs-hot tastes
like and where you might read a quote from William Shakespeare. Where? It is in
"Our Mutual Friend," the last novel Dickens finished.
It
reads easily, but there are some abbreviations to referenced to in an abbreviation
found in front.
Useful,
instruction, and thorough, "The Dickens Index" as edited by Nicolas
Bentley" should land in the library of any sdtudent of Dickens.
I
fully recommend "The Dickens Index."
Anthony
Trendl
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