The Dickensian Coming of Age 1926 Souvenir Booklet No.32 – Signed by Ley, Miller & Tyrrell
Exceptionally scarce limited-edition souvenir booklet issued by The Dickens Fellowship to commemorate the “Coming of Age” (21st Anniversary) of The Dickensian, the official quarterly magazine of the Fellowship, founded in 1905 by Bertram Waldrom Matz (1865–1925).
Printed in only fifty copies, this example numbered No. 32 was produced for the exclusive dinner held on Friday, 8 January 1926 at The George & Vulture, London — the historic tavern famously connected with Dickens’s Pickwick Papers.
The booklet includes the title page and commemorative dinner menu (Royal Native Oysters, Roast Saddle of Mutton, Dickens Pudding, etc.); a list of invited guests including prominent Fellowship members such as Walter Dexter, A. J. Slatter, and Arthur Waugh (father of Evelyn Waugh); and photographic portraits of Matz and “The Three Surviving Members of the Original Dickensian Committee” — J. W. T. Ley, W. Miller, and T. W. Tyrrell.
Extraordinary association copy and one of the few known signed examples of the Dickensian 21st Anniversary keepsake.
Historical Context:
The Dickens Fellowship, founded in 1902, created The Dickensian in 1905 as its scholarly and literary organ devoted to Dickens research, biography, and related studies. The 1926 “Coming of Age” dinner not only celebrated the magazine’s longevity but also memorialized its founder, Bertram Waldrom Matz, who had died the previous year. The gathering united the surviving founders of the Fellowship and leading figures in early Dickens scholarship, solidifying The Dickensian’s status as the cornerstone of organized Dickens studies.
Condition:
Very good condition overall. Original brown card covers with cord tie, mild edge toning, and light handling wear. Interior pages clean and securely bound.
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