Charles Dickens
Born in Portsmouth, Dickens left school to work in a factory when his father was incarcerated in a debtors' prison. Despite his lack of formal education, he edited a weekly journal for 20 years, wrote 15 novels, five novellas, hundreds of short stories and non-fiction articles, lectured and performed readings extensively, was an indefatigable letter writer, and campaigned vigorously for children's rights, education, and other social reforms.
Charles Gibbon
A three-volume novel "Dangerous Connexions" was published by Gibbon in 1864, which had a second edition in 1875. "The Dead Heart" followed in 1865, and Gibbon went on to publish some thirty novels, including were "Robin Gray" (1869; other editions 1872 and 1877) and "For Lack of Gold" (1871; other editions 1873 and 1877). Gibbon's Scottish novels have been compared with those of William Black. Ten novels featured "Detective Dier", a character based on Edmund Reid, who was a friend of Gibbon's.