The Diary of a Nobody

Summary

An unabridged reading of the much-loved classic comic novel. Charles Pooter, an ordinary suburban man, is one of the immortal comic creations of Victorian literature; his diary chronicles his hopes and dreams, his trials and frustrations, with a wonderful supporting cast of family, friends, co-workers, ex-schoolfellows, tradesmen, and “swells”.

George Grossmith (1847–1912) and Weedon Grossmith (1854–1919) were brothers who both became celebrated actors, comedians, and writers in late Victorian and Edwardian London. Their collaboration on The Diary of a Nobody is the work for which they are best remembered today. It began as an intermittent serial in Punch magazine in May 1888. In 1892, the episodes were collected together, revised, and published in book form by J. W. Arrowsmith, with seven new chapters added. The book also included new illustrations by Weedon. Over time it grew to be regarded as one of the greatest comic literary creations, and the book has never been out of print. It has been cited as an inspiration by many subsequent generations of authors, including J.B. Priestley and Evelyn Waugh, who wrote in 1930 that it was “the funniest book in the world”.