I’ve recorded it, too.
Of course he was no saint - I wonder how many famous authors were? - but I do admire him for his commercial sense in starting his own, relatively affordable magazines (one of them cost 2d a week) for serialising his own work and that of his friends, e.g. Wilkie Collins.
In an era when books were far too expensive for the vast majority and free public libraries did not exist, he must have provided a great deal of affordable enjoyment for so many people.
IIRC the standard price for one volume was one and a half guineas i.e 30/6d - and many works came in 3 volumes, as demanded by the publishers, in the interests of their own profits.
