Ebenezer Scrooge, among the best-known characters envisioned by British author Charles Dickens (1812–1870), remarked prophetically: “I will live in the Past, the Present, and the Future.” This comment could just as well have been uttered by Dickens about himself. Today marks the 201st anniversary of the canonical author’s birth and NYPL invites you to celebrate it with us.

We’ve just wrapped up our heavily attended exhibition Charles Dickens: A Key to Character at the Stephen A. Schwarzman Building. If you missed it, watch or listen to free recordings from the companion lecture series. Don’t miss the fascinating talk given by the exhibition’s curator, Wm. Moeck (below).

Also, stay tuned next week for the release of Charles Dickens, a Key to His Characters, the latest edition of NYPL’s free iBook periodical Point. Richly illustrated with rare and exclusive historic images from our collections, this edition explores the myriad quirky characters who populate Dickens’s novels.