Charles Dickens wrote a book titled Life and Adventures of Martin Chuzzlewit, often referred to as Martin Chuzzlewit and regarded as the final of his picaresque works. The first serialization took place between 1842 and 1844. Dickens admitted to a friend that he thought it was his best piece to date while also admitting that, based on the sales of the monthly installments, it was one of his least well-liked books. Famous characters from this book include Pecksniff and Mrs. Gamp. Martin Chuzzlewit, like almost all of Dickens's books, was initially released in monthly portions. Dickens revised the plot to send the title character to America since early sales of the monthly sections were lower than those of earlier works. In part as an unsuccessful effort to persuade US publishers to abide by international copyright regulations, Dickens traveled to America in 1842. He mocked the nation as being full of self-promotional hucksters who were eager to buy land without having seen it first. He clarified in a speech that it was satire and not a fair portrayal of the country in later editions and after his second visit to the greatly transformed US 24 years later.
