Reading along with the #BiggerBookClub? Check out these little known facts about the Great Expectations author!
- Dickens was known to be obsessive compulsive always looking in the mirror and then combing his hair as an obsession.
- He believed in mesmerism, which was healing through hypnotism. He practiced this on his wife and children in order to cure ailments.
- Charles suffered from epilepsy and even made some of his characters epileptics.
- Dickens always slept facing north as he felt it improved his writing, he even carried a compass with him while traveling in order to be sure.
- He loved nicknames. Besides giving nicknames to his book characters, he also nickname his children with names such as “chickenstalker” and “skittles”.
- The name Dickens is a curse word invented by Shakespeare.
- He helped create a house for “fallen women” to teach them to read and write.
- Dickens was interested in the paranormal and has been linked to the paranormal investigation group “The Ghost Club” of London.
- Dickens always touched things 3 times for luck.
- There was a secret door in his study disguised as a bookcase and filled with fake books.
- All of his books have characters from people in his life and stories that reflect his past.
- Dickens had a big ego and referred to himself as ‘The Sparkler of Albion’ (Albion is an archaic name for England).
- He suffered from insomnia.
- His favorite letter opener was made of the claw of his favorite cat, Bob.
- Dickens was an enthusiastic amateur magician.
