American Notes for General Circulation

This is Charles Dickens’ account of his tour of the United States and part of Canada from January to June in 1842. The 29-year-old Dickens and his wife Catherine landed at Boston and travelled to New York, Philadelphia, Washington, Richmond, Pittsburgh, Cincinnati, Louisville, St. Louis, Columbus, Niagara Falls and Toronto before returning to New York and sailing home. Along the way Dickens observes his fellow passengers, visits prisons and other social and political institutions, reads the newspapers, describes the landscapes and explores the mores of the people he meets. It is a fascinating portrait of a nation proud of its freedoms and achievements but in Dickens’ eyes diminished by its tolerance of slavery. This edition includes Dickens’ retrospective comments from 1850 and 1868.