From an early age I remember hearing how my mom read stories to me while she was pregnant. As I grew, my mom, who had been an English major, always reminded me to never stop reading, especially when she had a career change from being an English teacher to a community outreach librarian. I always made time for reading because of the values my mom instilled in me, and reading felt like a calming constant in my life where I could immerse myself in stories, reminding me of my childhood with my mom.
As I made my way through grade school I faced more difficult texts, and in my freshman-year honors class I faced the most difficult read yet: A Tale of Two Cities by Charles Dickens. I disliked the novel at first, as it was hard to understand the language and number of words on a page in comparison to past readings I had encountered, but the book ended up being one of the most meaningful of my high school years. The reading in this first high school class felt like it was purely an assignment and felt different than the personal reading I had done throughout my life. One part of the book that has stuck with me is when Carton sacrifices himself to save Charles Darnay in prison, ultimately for Lucie’s happiness. The ultimate sacrifice demonstrates the endless love between characters, and throughout the rest of the novel I felt empowered by the courage and perseverance of the main characters, as well as the connection of family throughout the events of the French Revolution.
For English 181 honors at UW–Madison last fall, I had the opportunity to visit Special Collections in Memorial Library. When I found out there were multiple versions of A Tale of Two Cities in the collection, I was immediately interested in researching them. Reading multiple versions of the text opened my eyes to the creation of a text and the community formed through literature. Why did Dickens choose the words he published? And how was he involved in the production of these artifacts? I had never given thought about the author as a creator of both content and container, but finding the Nonesuch Dickens edition of A Tale of Two Cities led me to wonder how much an author shapes us through what we read and how we are impacted by the words printed on the page.
Background
A Tale of Two Cities is a timeless tale of justice and sacrifice set in the French Revolution. The text has been published in multiple editions, including the Nonesuch Dickens edition published in 1937 with a limitation of 877 sets printed. The Nonesuch Dickens set is a highly sought-after collector's edition consisting of 27 volumes. According to Peter Harrington, it was said that no other publishing company could retain the same level of authenticity the Nonesuch Press had received.
The copy I explored in Special Collections is a first edition in great condition, almost 12 inches long with a brown leather cover. The spine is labeled with golden lettering and small, leather details while the rest of the cover is plain. The pages of the book have uneven edges, and it is clear the book was hand-cut by an owner, most likely with a knife as they read. The hand-cutting adds character to the specific copy of the book, which shows meticulous care, both from the publisher and owner, while the content is even more fascinating and cared for. A magnificent green graphic meets the reader as they open the book with notable scenes, as seen in Image 1. One who has read the book in the past is met with familiarity, while those who are new to the book see the graphics as a sign of what’s to come. Further on, the pages are filled with detailed black and white drawings depicting scenes that correspond with the passages, as seen in Image 2.
Charles Dickens was highly involved in the selection of each illustration and had a creative relationship with the illustrators assigned to the project to create an authentic piece reflecting his ideas. These drawings lead a reader to interpret the text as Dickens intended. The pages are also filled with marginalia curated by Dickens himself beside their corresponding passages, commentary that enhances the original text to aid the reader in a better understanding of Dickens’ messages. The Nonesuch Dickens edition was intended to incorporate the “author’s final alterations to his novels” and be a collection of the best of Dickens’ work as his life ended 10 years after the publication of A Tale of Two Cities.
Nonesuch Dickens and Community
The involvement of Charles Dickens in the Nonesuch Dickens edition leads us to question to what extent one should be governed by the ideas of an author. The texts that are most sought after and raved about in Special Collections provide insight from authors, owners, scholars, librarians, and the public. It’s the people who shape the texts that create the experience of an archive and exemplify its purpose: to preserve unique items, strengthen memories, and share knowledge.
A Nonesuch Dickens edition authentically represents these ideals. The choice of reading the edition published in 1937 is a chance for exploration into the brain of a brilliant author and a step toward preserving his memory. The images and marginalia throughout the copy I explored creates an experience and demonstrate the sense of community that comes from an archive. The most impactful commentary could be found in book 2, chapter 7. During the scene, a child is run over by a member of the aristocracy’s carriage and the Marquis simply pays off the father, as “he only killed a child.”. The marginalia from Dickens on this page states “only a child!”, highly emphasizing the lack of empathy the aristocracy felt for the lower class. This took me aback and helped me to think more deeply about the scene than I had in the past as a ninth-grade student.
I went to Special Collections for research on a book, but I discovered the importance of libraries on a college campus. A library is more than just books: it’s a community. In the archives I felt the sense of togetherness that stems from a community of librarians, professors, my peers, and the objects around me. The librarians kindly set out books for people of all ages, my peers would smile at me as they entered to do their own research, and I felt as if all my questions were answered. The text is a collaborative project, as it was created by Dickens, a publishing team, illustrators, and others. These are the values that we emerge with from an archive: connection and collaboration.
Being in the Special Collections library brought me back to the community that literature creates. I have been shown this relationship since I was a child reading with my mother, and I realized I need to keep literature in my life no matter how busy I may get. I imagine my future relationship with reading to be kept close, either reading in a library like Special Collections or reading with family on a cozy night in. I will strive to create the connection with my family around reading, just as I was able to find with mine, as I have felt the benefits of connecting through literature.
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Funding for this series—which allowed HH to pay student writers and editors—was generously provided by the Friends of the UW-Madison Libraries. Special thanks are due, as well, to the staff of Special Collections, and especially to Lisa Wettleson, who guided students through the process of learning how to conduct original research in rare book and archival libraries.
About the author: Kadence Zielski is a freshman pre-pharmacy student at UW–Madison. She took English 181 with Professor Joshua Calhoun in the Fall 2023 semester as a part of the honors program: it was an enriching experience, and now she feels more comfortable in the libraries and am confident doing research on campus. In her free time, she enjoys dancing on the UW Dance Elite Club Dance team, traveling with family, spending time with friends, and walking on the lakeshore path by the lake on warm, sunny days.
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I just love these writings which help me feel connected to other readers and historians as well. I'd always thought that departments of "rare books" and "archives" were only for elite scholars researching esoteric subjects-- not for the common (wo)man who couldn't be trusted to handle these sacred texts with care or ever viewed as someone intrigued by provenance, fonts, parchment, the printing process, illustration and other materials.
I don't recall being read to as a child but have fond memories of my mother driving me from our farming village of 100 residents to the town of 5000 to spend time selecting a bag of books to drag home and "read" to myself.
I'd revel in taking a course.