"Charles Dickens" Humor" Topic

When CHARLES DICKENS moved into Tavistock House in 1851, he decided to fill two spaces in his new study with bookcases containing fake books, the witty titles of which he had invented. And so, on October 22nd, he wrote to a bookbinder named THOMAS ROBERT EELES and supplied him with the following "list of imitation book-backs" to be produced.

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History of a Short Chancery Suit
Catalogue of Statues of the Duke of Wellington
Five Minutes in China. 3 vols.
Forty Winks at the Pyramids. 2 vols.
Abernethy on the Constitution. 2 vols.
Mr. Green's Overland Mail. 2 vols.
Captain Cook's Life of Savage. 2 vols.
A Carpenter's Bench of Bishops. 2 vols.
Toot's Universal Letter-Writer. 2 vols.
Orson's Art of Etiquette.
Downeaster's Complete Calculator.
History of the Middling Ages. 6 vols.
Jonah's Account of the Whale.
Captain Parry's Virtues of Cold Tar.
Kant's Ancient Humbugs. 10 vols.
Bowwowdom. A Poem.
The Quarrelly Review. 4 vols.
The Gunpowder Magazine. 4 vols.
Steele. By the Author of "Ion."
The Art of Cutting the Teeth.
Matthew's Nursery Songs. 2 vols.
Paxton's Bloomers. 5 vols.
On the Use of Mercury by the Ancient Poets.
Drowsy's Recollections of Nothing. 3 vols.
Heavyside's Conversations with Nobody. 3 vols.
Commonplace Book of the Oldest Inhabitant. 2 vols.
Growler's Gruffiology, with Appendix. 4 vols.
The Books of Moses and Sons. 2 vols.
Burke (of Edinburgh) on the Sublime and Beautiful. 2 vols.
Teazer's Commentaries.
King Henry the Eighth's Evidences of Christianity. 5 vols.
Miss Biffin on Deportment.
Morrison's Pills Progress. 2 vols.
Lady Godiva on the Horse.
Munchausen's Modern Miracles. 4 vols.
Richardson's Show of Dramatic Literature. 12 vols.
Hansard's Guide to Refreshing Sleep. As many volumes as possible.

I'm sure we TMP'ers could do the same with "authoritative source material" for our gaming.

JJ

I'm sure it is best appreciated by those who know more about the times and people of that time. Interesting that providing imitation book backs was apparently a thriving business.

Thanks, Terrement. I can always use a list like this.

Interesting that providing imitation book backs was apparently a thriving business.

More like rich people can always get anything they want. Was Dickens rich in '51?

I checked. None of these are available from Osprey.

Having work on occasion in the Palace of Westminster I can appreciate

Hansard's Guide to Refreshing Sleep. As many volumes as possible.

I get the humour in more of these than I would have thought.

x42

Edit:- Just remembered booksbythefoot.com

I do like the sound of Kant's Ancient Humbugs. 10 vols.

I think I need this for my bookshelf.

I do like the sound of Kant's Ancient Humbugs. 10 vols.

I think I've got the one volume paperback edition in the attic somewhere.

Reminds me of George Carlin's "Book Club" bit.