The Life of Charles Dickens by John Forster; B. John Forster's detailed biography on the life and career of his friend, Charles Dickens. Forster read every one of Dickens' works in manuscript, and took over'The Daily News' after Dickens retired in 1846. This is an insightful biography exploring the life of the eminent Victorian author. Volume II illustrated with a frontispiece, and one-hundred and thirty-one plates.