The Cricket on the Hearth, A Fairy Tale of Home by Dickens, Charles - 1845

London: W.S. Johnson, "Nassau Steam Press, 1845. Rare Pamphlet Play issued a year before the book was published. Stated on Title page: Dramatization by Albert Smith, Esq. from early proofs of the works, by the express permission of the author, CHARLES DICKENS, ESQ. and performed at the Theatre Royal Lyceum. Original binding softcover with stitched wrappers. 39 pages. VERY VERY RARE. It came from my late Grandfather's Christmas Collection. Always happy to send detailed photographs. Dickens's interest in the theater dated from his late teens. In 1845, he began to produce for the stage himself, an interest, which would lead eventually to his own touring company. In October and November of 1845, as he drafted Cricket, he was secretly collaborating with well-known dramatist Albert Smith on an authorized script. It would appear that he gave Smith the proofs of the novel to read and possibly attended secret rehearsals with Smith's cast. This two-pronged effort to beat the pirates at their own game was partially successful. The novel was released in London on the same day the play opened at the Lyceum. Playbills pointedly identified Smith's Cricket as being written "from Early Proofs of the Work, BY THE EXPRESS PERMISSION OF THE AUTHOR." The Cricket on the Hearth was published in 1846. However, before publication Dickens joined forces with the playwright Albert Smith, and the famous acting pair Mr. and Mrs. Keeley, of the Lyceum Theatre, to produce a stage version from early proof sheets of the book. The result was The Cricket on the Hearth, A Fairy Tale of Home, Dramatized by Albert Smith, and dated 1845. The cast included Mr. Keeley as Caleb Plummer, and Mrs. Keeley as Dot. The play was a huge success. Smith’s original version at the Lyceum had over sixty performances. . Original Wraps. Very Good.