New on the website today: 21 previously unpublished letters written by Charles Dickens! https://dickensletters.com/  We put this batch together under the theme of letters connected to publishing. What does the latest update contain? (thread) #twitterstorians #Victorian #history

We've adjusted our period parameter because we've added our first letter pre-1837... exciting! Dickens, writing in 1836, is clearly frustrated as he addresses the unknown correspondent as 'Sir'. "I cannot send you back any copy now..." https://dickensletters.com/letters/unknown-1836

In February 1837, Dickens writes to the actor John Pritt Harley. "Don't be frightened about the 'Loaf'. It shall be delivered in the course of a day or so...". The 'Loaf' is a parcel containing the manuscript of CD's one-act farce Is She His Wife? https://dickensletters.com/letters/john-pritt-harley-7-feb-1837

We've published several letters to prospective contributors with rejections and acceptances. In the unsuccessful submissions column we have two letters to William John Bellew Archer, a Mr W. D. Eward, E. H. Malcolm, and Miss S. Rain...

... with better luck, we have Leigh Hunt: https://dickensletters.com/letters/leigh-hunt-12-jan-1853. "The paper, to be thoroughly effective in Household Words, should not (saving for some very special reason) be longer than about five pages, or five and a half" ...

John Hollingshead has mixed success. "Poor Tom. A City Weed" is accepted by Dickens ( https://dickensletters.com/letters/john-hollingshead-24-sep-1857) as is "Twenty Shillings in the Pound", a few weeks later, but another article is rejected: https://dickensletters.com/letters/john-hollingshead-4-oct-1857.

Dickens is clearly fed up of writing rejection letters for Bentley's Miscellany in January 1838, and simply prints a list in the issue, published on the last day of the month (poor "Aliquis"): https://dickensletters.com/letters/edward-s-morgan-17-24-jan-1838

We've published 3 new letters to Dickens's publishers Bradbury & Evans about Barnaby Rudge ( https://dickensletters.com/letters/bradbury-evans-21-sep-1841), an article for Household Words ( https://dickensletters.com/letters/bradbury-evans-10-aug-1855) and requesting copies of Pictures from Italy ( https://dickensletters.com/letters/bradbury-evans-18-may-1846)

What did Dickens need "Fifteen copies in all" of David Copperfield for? https://dickensletters.com/letters/felix-joyce-17-nov-1850d

In September 1842, Dickens writes to the British Consul in Boston about income tax, copyright, and a forged letter circulating in the American press (we blame Walt Whitman): https://dickensletters.com/letters/thomas-colley-grattan-1-sep-1842

We've also published a new letter to the illustrator George Cruikshank about The Pic Nic Papers (you read that correctly): https://dickensletters.com/letters/george-cruikshank-15-dec-1840

Believe it or not, these are just highlights! There are more letters in the new batch. Explore them on our website under 'Latest updates': https://dickensletters.com/  #twitterstorians #Dickens #amreading