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Dominion, Volume 3, Issue 662, 12 November 1909, Page 8

i The popularity.of Dickens' among ■ autograph ,colle~ctors,.gr.owsjsteadily, ■ and.the v deniand, 'it, is staissd,: is,-ever in'. excess,; of'. the ■'; supply. ."As. a Consequence" (Bays the/authors: of .''The Detection; of Forgery:'.).' "lie -has .suffered.vperhaps, more .than any. of .tlievUferaiy immortals 'at the: hands, of. the .forger.' , '.'But detection ought;not ,to .be.,difficult:: "Probably -no -writer, preserved'his- style ■with'sufth littlo'-c'hange/as' Dickens!■': His signature ih'latßr'Jycars'.varied somewhat vj'rain; .that of, his Htoraryyouth, but .the btidy ■ -:pf ..;;hJs.;- handscript retained throughout I itKe' ; earned characteristics. It was ; always . a'--:fiee, fluenV' graceful 7 hand, legible .as 'tliat .of.' Thaolferaiy; i.Hrheii': ; its;..leading peculiarities" have , ! beon • mastered, - ,; but, less formal '.an,d 'studied .than. his..'" It was always remarkably" free from:' correction's or'interlineations."- •' A 1 ■ peculiarity-';' noticeable;.in'., many ] of Dickens's letters: Cis .'that''the' loft-hand 'margin grows: gradually wider as the lines apof^;th''e v pagc/-^"A..line'.drawn ffprn'.the 'first letter■'on. o .the'.!firat.'line;,tb ;/ the corresponding l.position ign; tlVe;"'livst, 'wiir'touch nearly,;'every;-, other : 'line?'/; This, peculiarity. .'appears 1 to have 'very'.'ofb9ii escaped the. atten-. tion: of the 'forget.; After''the.•Pickwick.period Dickens j adopted ".the' use'; of , -'ISu'e paper''and blue' ink.'. Letters, in i Wack. iiik, .if' undated, }je ! attributed,.«to the^a'rlioriporibtl:;!|His no'tepa^erivfas'in-later years of ...the- rojjtiloti'pri note-size;-• The. 'address,' - ftigham, by.'Eeehester, : in- Voinbossed'. 'black-■.pld.-Englisb. 1 ' 10ttbr,...;. ''Etispa^;\^; envelopes.wei-o blue,;of:the/same^quality.-paper, 1 but'.without..crest,, rmonogranii '"'or.'distinctive' ■rnorje. ..Diokens'si yanity: b_xp]fosscd J itsclf>in 'the habit.- of .■ffahking the. niiiiirier. in.'Vogue :, ..'When- \Pecrs dhjbyed !the,-.'privilege,'.;'of J ;■ fr'eeiv-po'Btage.f 'Diokcns's sipn'atnre istone''of,--thV bestlcaown \of;. :^; remained "ho, a(lopted ; it, aftc* : . the ,'Pickwrei;. iporiod, ~ hie death." ; ; - • .••••V^ »~ : ;;:■«?:■>>,;,:;-■'■■■■.-■•>■ -\iv : v.