Dickens's Favourite Blacking Factory

Neil Price enjoys a busy retirement, fulfilling many objectives he could not achieve during his career as a practising chartered accountant in Orkney. His lifelong obsession with family history has inspired this, his first book. He hopes that another ancestor, as well as other colourful people he has known, will result in further writings. He now lives in Midlothian, where his time is also taken up playing golf, singing and conducting choirs.

• Illustrations11Family Trees13Maps17Preface23I. Prologue29II. Life391. Small beginnings to big success402. Introductions in Regency times553. Competition and intellectual property714. Edgware and the Peake sisters845. The Peakes of Stafford, a likeness and lavish living956. Births, deaths and almshouses1117. The troublesome daughter and making provisions1328. Towards the end147III. Death167The diary of William Foote168Preface169Dramatis Personae171Introduction173The Diary187IV. Aftermath2851. The beginnings of legal proceedings2862. Dufaur3003. The Price boys and a census3064. The Court of Chancery3165. Caterham3316. The destination of Charles Day’s fortune3397. The Dickens connection354V. Epilogue371The Unmasking of John (or Charles) Price372Appendix One The responses of Susannah Peake in PC53402Appendix Two The Will and Codicils of Charles Day414Sources, notes and references440Bibliography453Acknowledgements455Table of ContentsPreface3Chapter 1: On Optimism, Hope, and False Hope9Chapter 2: On People and Human Nature19Chapter 3: On Negotiation and Cooperation37Chapter 4: On Stupidity45Chapter 5: On Creation of Artifacts and Things49Chapter 6: On Futility and Exasperation59Chapter 7: On Acceptance79Chapter 8: On Being Poor85Chapter 9: On the Value of Discipline91Chapter 10: On the False Promise of First Impressions101Chapter 11: On Wisdom105Chapter 12: On Competition113Chapter 13: On Trying to be Something You’re Not125Chapter 14: On Caution, Omens, and Sympathy131Chapter 15: On Leaders & Leadership137Chapter 16: On Patience143Chapter 17: On Making the Best of a Bad Situation147Chapter 18: On Accepting Consequences151Chapter 19: On Burdens, Luck & Fate157Glossary165Gloss: On Optimism, Hope, and False Hope167Gloss: On People and Human Nature173Gloss: On Negotiation and Cooperation185Gloss: On Stupidity191Gloss: On Creation of Artifacts and Things195Gloss: On Futility and Exasperation201Gloss: On Acceptance215Gloss: On Being Poor219Gloss: On the Value of Discipline223Gloss: On the False Promise of First Impressions229Gloss: On Wisdom231Gloss: On Competition237Gloss: On Trying to be Something You’re not245Gloss: On Caution, Omens, and Sympathy249Gloss: On Leaders & Leadership253Gloss: On Patience257Gloss: On Making Best of a Bad Situation261Gloss: On Accepting Consequences263Gloss: On Burdens, Luck & Fate267About the authors 272