Collected Works of George Gissing on Charles Dickens. Volume 3. Forster's Life of Dickens. Edited and Introduced By Christine DeVine with an Afterword By James A. Davies.

With this third and last volume of the Collected Works of George Gissing on Charles Dickens we come to Gissing's abridgement of Forster's Life of Dickens, When published in 1902 the book caused some controversy as a few reviewers accused Gissing of tampering with a wellloved text and trying to enhance his reputation by association with the name of Forster. However, the more perceptive reviewers realised the difficulties of his task and acknowledged that he had completed an intelligent and sensitive abridgement. Gissing wrote in his preface that the length of Forster's Life intimidated the casual reader and that his task was to enable the book to reach a far wider potential audience. This he achieved with his abridgement. The last publication of the book was in the 1920s. The text has been completely reset for this edition which includes corrections found in Gissing's presentation copy to his mother. With detailed Introduction, Afterword, Notes and Appendices, Volume 3 will enhance the reader's knowledge not only of Dickens but of Gissing, Forster and the interesting background to the abridgement of Forster's Life.…