Charles Dickens made the first of 3 trips to the United States in 1842, when he was 30 and already famous, having written several novels including The Pickwick Papers. This book begins dockside in London and recounts his escapades throughout his journey in a witty and conversational style, with his characteristic irreverence. This work will make Americans acknowledge the debt owed by Twain, Mencken, and others to Dickens, the foremost man of letters of his day.