Date of Award
12-17-2014
Degree Type
Thesis
Degree Name
Master of Arts (MA)
Department
Communication
First Advisor
Leonard Teel
Second Advisor
Jack Boozer
Third Advisor
Marian Meyers
Abstract
Charles Dickens embarked on a profitable journey to the United States in 1867, when he was the most famous writer in the world. He gave seventy-six public readings, in eighteen cities. Dickens and his manager, George Dolby, devised the tour to cash in on his popularity, and Dickens earned the equivalent of more than three million dollars. They created a persona of Dickens beyond the literary luminary he already was, with the help of the impresario, P.T. Barnum. Dickens became the first British celebrity to profit from paid readings in the United States. This research thesis asks how Dickens earned a fortune from his performance tour.
DOI
https://doi.org/10.57709/6418032
Recommended Citation
Martin, Jillian, "Making it in America: How Charles Dickens and His Cunning Manager George Dolby Made Millions from a Performance Tour of The United States, 1867-1868." Thesis, Georgia State University, 2014.
doi: https://doi.org/10.57709/6418032