Dickens: Public Life and Private Passion

This concise biography is an expert, beautifully written introduction to the life and character of the mercurial, conflicted and brilliant Dickens.

Upon first seeing Peter Ackroyd's immense bibliography, I suspected he might be a prolific hack biographer, and feared for the $6 I had impulsively spent on this slim volume at a local second-hand store. My concern was greatly misplaced. I shall keep a weather eye out for more of his work.