To commemorate the bicentenary of Charles Dickens’ birth, SKS are holding an exhibition of Dickens memorabilia.

On display are prints of the writer’s portraits and older editions of his novels as they appeared over the years, some in facsimile format, plus copies of the first edition of the Maltese version of A Tale of Two Cities, published in 1950 by the poet Karmenu Vassallo.

One highlight is an authentic and original display of a Dickens signature at the end of the first edition of Hard Times published in 1863. Faded but still there, the signature testifies to the determination with which Dickens promoted his books.

Dickens was an outstanding writer and an outstanding showman. To the end of his life, he attended book signing ceremonies at which he read extracts from his publications and then signed copies brought by avid readers.

Five years before he wrote A Tale of Two Cities, Dickens was hard at work promoting the novel of social protest, Hard Times, by signing copies of that book as it came hot from the press. One of those signatures will be on display at the exhibition.

The SKS exhibition ties in with the launch of the new publication of A Tale of Two Cities in Karmenu Vassallo’s translation.

The exhibition is being mounted with the assistance of the National Library and private collectors who provided books for display as well as of reproductions of older editions of Dickens novels specifically for this exhibition.

The exhibition will be on display at the foyer of the Ċentru Nazzjonali Laburista, Ħamrun, between Tuesday and next Sunday (10 a.m. to 8 p.m.). Entrance is free. Visitors can also obtain a copy of the latest edition of Ġrajja Ta` Żewġt Ibliet.