CHARLES DICKENS (1812-70) is one of the most recognized celebrities of English literature. He had a poverty-stricken childhood and was determined to improve himself. By his early twenties he found a job as a parliamentary reporter and in his spare time wrote sketches of London life for newspapers and magazines. The publication of Pickwick Papers (1836) brought him the fame and fortune he craved. He wrote many other famous books including Oliver Twist, Great Expectations and A Christmas Carol. PETER BLAKE was born in 1932 in Dartford, Kent and studied at the RCA where he went on to teach. He is a leading figure of British Pop Art and is best known for his cover for The Beatles Sergeant Pepper album which he designed in the 1960s. Peter Blake was made a Royal Academician in 1981, a CBE in 1983, and in 2002 was knighted for his services to art.