Dickens Day 2026 - including list of books for collection
Dickens Day 2026 will be held on Saturday 10 October at Senate House, London WC1E 7HU.
The theme will be 'Dickens and Family'.
Coinciding with the 180th anniversary of the publication of Dombey & Son in Octoter 1846, the day will focus on how the concept of family informed Dickens's life and works. Dickens's novels show us the best and worst of family life; the intrinsic support and love demonstrated amongst the Cratchitts is contrast wildly with the in-fighting of the Chuzzlewits. Then there are the groups that challenge our notion of the traditional nuclear family unit: the found family of the Pickwick Club, or guardians and adoptive parents such as Dan Peggotty or Miss Havisham.
Beyond the novels, Dickens's relationship with his own family was complicated. There was the ongoing tension with his parents and siblings over money and debt; his great expectations and high demands for his children; and, of course, the conflict between his public persona as a champion of the domestic scene and his separation from his wife.
There will be talks and discussion of all these points, and their impact on Dickens's writing and legacy.
There will also be tributes paid to the founder of Dickens Day, the late Professor Michael Slater MBE, and to the late Dr Tony Williams, and books from Michael's own library will be available for collection*.
To view the programme and book your place, please click here.
*regarding these books, please see the following message from Michael's literary executor, Professor John Drew:
The executors and beneficiaries of the estate of the late Michael Slater, having honoured all specific bequests in relation to his library, have generously agreed that the remainder of his books (some 1200 volumes) be offered to fellow Dickensians at Dickens Day 2026, this being in the spirit of the Dickens Fellowship and Michael's own lifelong dedication to education and the love of literarture. To this end, please find below a link to a listing of books which will be available for collection (by yourself or a representative) during the refreshment breaks at Dickens Day on 10th October 2026. Please enter your name in column A against up to 12 titles. Bags will be available, but please also bring you own.
[View Catalogue] [The listing has two tabs, so do view both sheets]. Please endeavour NOT to type over the names of other individuals who have already selected titles. The listing is - given various to-ings and fro-ings - only about 80% accurate, so not all titles will necessarily be available on the day. Titles will be grouped in boxes, labelled A-Z by author, or in the Art/Guide Books/Anon items boxes. Please do NOT try to save the listing after entering your names: the page will automatically update. Unfortunately, it will NOT be possible to set books aside for later collection (there is no storage) or to post them out. Your books can, however, be collected by someone else on your behalf.
General interest