Today marks the 200th anniversary of the birth of Charles Dickens, one of the best-loved authors in the English language.
His work was hugely popular and his novels, many of which were serialised in magazines, were eagerly awaited by the public. Crowds are reported to have waited at the docks in New York to learn the fate of Little Nell in 'The Old Curiosity Shop'.
My parents were big fans of Dickens, particularly my father, and I read several of his novels as a teenager.
These old editions, printed over a 100 years ago, belonged to my grandparents.