Charles Dickens is one of the world's most recognizable writers. His fame began almost immediately after he started publishing the chapters of his first novel The Pickwick Papers in 1836, which was immediately translated into French and German. 

The British author is now one of the most adapted authors of all time. His works were translated into Chinese and Japanese by the late 19th century. He is even credited with popularizing the idea of a 'white Christmas', as snow regularly covers the landscape of many of his Christmas stories.

According to antiquarian bookseller Brian Lake, "The reality is that [Dickens] still sells in enormous numbers and all his books are still in print. You can buy first editions, early editions, illustrated editions, simply in terms of sales of his books he is still enormous and has global reach - everybody has heard of Charles Dickens."