WILKIE COLLINS CHRONOLOGY
| DATE |
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EVENT |
PUBLICATION |
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1822 |
18 September |
William Collins marries Harriet Geddes |
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| 1824 | 8 January | Wilkie Collins born at 11 New Cavendish Street, Marylebone |
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| 1826 |
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Family moves to Hampstead Green |
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| 1828 | 25 January | Brother, Charles Allston Collins born |
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| 1829 | Summer | Family visits Boulogne |
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| 1829 | September | Family moves to Hampstead Square |
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| 1830 |
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Family moves to Porchester Terrace, Bayswater |
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| 1835 | January | Attends school at the Maida Hill Academy |
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| 1836 | September | Family visits France and Italy till August 1838 |
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| 1838 | August | Moves to 20 Avenue Road;attends Cole's school in Highbury |
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| 1840 | Summer | Family moves to 85 Oxford Terrace, Bayswater |
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| 1841 | January | Apprenticed to Antrobus & Co, tea merchants |
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| 1842 | June- July | Visits Scotland with his father, William Collins |
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| 1843 | August | First signed publication | 'The Last Stage Coachman', in The Illuminated Magazine |
| 1844 |
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Writes Iolani |
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| 1844 |
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Visits France with Charles Ward |
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| 1845 |
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Iolani rejected; visits Paris on his own |
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| 1846 |
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Visits Belgium with Charles Ward |
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| 1846 | May | Enters Linclon's Inn to study law |
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| 1847 | 17 February | Death of William Collins |
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| 1847 |
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Visits Normandy with Charles Ward |
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| 1848 | Summer | Family moves to Blandford Square |
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| 1848 | November | First book published | Memoirs of the Life of William Collins, R.A. |
| 1849 | Summer | Exhibits Smuggler's Retreat at the R. A. Summer Exhibition |
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| 1849 |
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Visits France with Charles Ward |
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| 1850 | 26 February | A Court Duel! at the Soho Theatre |
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| 1850 | 27 February | First Novel | Antonina |
| 1850 | Summer | Moves with his mother to 17 Hanover Terrace |
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| 1850 | July- August | Walking tour of Cornwall with Henry Brandling |
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| 1851 | 30 January |
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Rambles Beyond Railways |
| 1851 | March | Meets Dickens | First contribution to Bentley's Miscellany, 'The Twin Sisters' |
| 1851 | 16 May | Acts with Dickens in Not So Bad as We Seem |
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| 1851 | 27 September |
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First contribution to The Leader |
| 1851 | 21 November | Called to the Bar |
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| 1851 | 17 December |
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Mr Wray's Cash-Box |
| 1852 | 24 April | First contribution to Household Words | 'A Terribly Strange Bed' |
| 1852 | 16 November |
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Basil |
| 1853 | June | Early attack of illness |
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| 1853 | July- September | Stays with Dickens in Boulogne |
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| 1853 | October- December | Tours Switzerland and Italy with Dickens and Augustus Egg |
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| 1854 |
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Joins the Garrick Club |
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| 1854 | 6 June |
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Hide and Seek |
| 1854 | July- August | Stays with Dickens in Boulogne |
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| 1854 | December | First contribution to a Christmas Number | 'A Stolen Letter' in Household Words |
| 1855 | February | Illness during trip to Paris with Dickens |
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| 1855 | 16 June | The Lighthouse performed at Tavistock House |
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| 1855 | September | Sails with Pigott to the Scilly Isles |
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| 1855 | November | Critical review of Collins by Emile Forgues |
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| 1855 | 22 December | First non- fiction piece for Household Words | 'The Cruise of the Tomtit' |
| 1856 |
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Moves to 2 Harley Place |
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| 1856 | February | First collection of stories | After Dark |
| 1856 | 1-29 March |
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A Rogue's Life serialized in Household Words |
| 1856 | June | Approached by Tauchnitz to publish After Dark |
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| 1856 | October | Joins permanent staff of Household Words |
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| 1857 | 3 January |
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The Dead Secret begins serialization in Household Words |
| 1857 | 24 January |
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First serialization in Harper's Weekly, The Dead Secret |
| 1857 | 6 January | The Frozen Deep performed at Tavistock House |
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| 1857 | June | Critical review of Collins by Yates in The Train | The Dead Secret (book) published |
| 1857 | 10 August | The Lighthouse opens at the Olympic Theatre |
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| 1857 | 21 August | The Frozen Deep performed in Manchester |
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| 1857 | 7 September | Leaves with Dickens for walking tour in Cumberland |
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| 1857 | 3-31 October |
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The Lazy Tour of Two Idle Apprentices |
| 1857 | December | Collaboration with Dickens | The Perils of Certain English Prisoners |
| 1858 |
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First French translation | The Dead Secret |
| 1858 | July- August | First visit to Broadstairs, Kent |
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| 1858 | September | Resigns from the Garrick Club |
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| 1858 | 11 October | The Red Vial opens at The Olympic |
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| 1859 | January | Living with Caroline Graves, in Albany Street |
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| 1859 | Spring | Move to 2A New Cavendish Street |
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| 1859 | October |
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The Queen of Hearts |
| 1859 | 26 November |
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The Woman in White begins in All the Year Round |
| 1859 | December | Move to 12 Harley Street |
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| 1860 | January | Negotiates with Sampson Low for future publication |
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| 1860 | 17 July | Charles Collins marries Kate Dickens |
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| 1860 | August |
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The Woman in White (book) published |
| 1860 | 22 August | Opens bank account at Coutts |
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| 1861 | 16 April | Elected to The Athenaeum |
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| 1862 | January | Resigns from All the Year Round |
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| 1862 | August | Visits Whitby with Caroline Graves |
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| 1862 | 15 March |
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No Name begins in All the Year Round |
| 1862 | July- October | Rents the Fort House in Broadstairs |
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| 1862 | December |
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No Name (book) |
| 1863 | April | Visits Aix- la-Chapelle |
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| 1863 | August | Visits the Isle of Man with Caroline and her daughter |
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| 1863 | November |
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My Miscellanies |
| 1863 | December | Visits Italy for three months with Caroline |
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| 1864 | Summer | Meets Martha Rudd in Great Yarmouth |
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| 1864 | November |
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Armadale begins in the Cornhill |
| 1864 | December | Moves to 9 Melcombe Place |
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| 1864 | December | Armadale saves Harper's Monthly from closure |
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| 1865 |
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Smith, Elder acquire Collins's copyrights |
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| 1865 | March | Resigns a second time from the Garrick |
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| 1865 | 12 April | Takes the chair at the Royal General Theatrical Fund |
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| 1866 |
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Visits Paris with Frederick Lehmann |
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| 1866 | May- June |
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Armadale (book) |
| 1866 | October | Visits Italy with Edward Pigott |
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| 1866 | 27 October | The Frozen Deep at The Olympic |
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| 1867 | September | Moves to 90 Gloucester Place |
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| 1867 | 9 November | Visits Liverpool to see Dickens off to America |
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| 1867 | December | Collaborates again with Dickens | No Thoroughfare in All the Year Round |
| 1867 | 26 December | No Thoroughfare at the Adelphi |
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| 1868 | 4 January-8 August |
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The Moonstone serialized in All the Year Round |
| 1868 |
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Martha Rudd (as Mrs Dawson) installed at 33 Bolsover Street |
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| 1868 | 19 March | Death of Harriet Collins, his mother |
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| 1868 | July |
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The Moonstone (book) |
| 1868 | 29 October | Witnesses Caroline Graves marry Joseph Clow |
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| 1869 | 29 March | Black and White opens at the Adelphi |
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| 1869 | 4 July | Elder daughter, Marian Dawson, born |
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| 1869 | 20 November |
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Man and Wife begins in Cassell's Magazine |
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| 1870 | 9 June | Death of Dickens |
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| 1870 | June |
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Man and Wife (book) |
| 1871 | 14 May | Younger daughter, Harriet Dawson, born |
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| 1871 | 9 October | The Woman in White opens at The Olympic |
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| 1871 | October |
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Poor Miss Finch begins in Cassell's Magazine |
| 1871 | 25 December |
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Miss or Mrs? in The Graphic |
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| 1872 | 26 January |
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Poor Miss Finch (book) |
| 1872 | October |
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The New Magdalen begins in Temple Bar |
| 1872 | 3 February | 'The Novelist Who Invented Sensation' in Vanity Fair |
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| 1873 | January |
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Miss or Mrs? and Other Stories |
| 1873 | 22 February | Man and Wife opens at The Prince of Wales |
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| 1873 | 9 April | Charles Collins dies |
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| 1873 | 17 May |
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The New Magdalen (book) |
| 1873 | 19 May | The New Magdalen opens at the Olympic |
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| 1873 | 25 September | Arrives in New York for American reading tour |
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| 1873 | 10 November | Attends first night of The New Magdalen in New York |
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| 1874 | 7 March | Leaves Boston for England |
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| 1874 |
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Moves Martha Rudd to Taunton Place |
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| 1874 | 26 September |
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The Law and the Lady begins in The Graphic |
| 1874 | 2 November |
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The Frozen Deep |
| 1874 | 25 December | Son, William Charles Collins Dawson, born |
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| 1875 |
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Chatto & Windus become Collins's main English publishers |
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| 1875 | February |
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The Law and the Lady (book) |
| 1875 |
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Visits Italy with Frith |
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| 1876 | Jan- Sep |
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The Two Destinies in Temple Bar |
| 1876 | 15 April | Miss Gwilt opens at the Globe |
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| 1876 | August |
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The Two Destinies (book) |
| 1877 | 2 July |
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'Mr Percy and the Prophet' in All the Year Round |
| 1877 | 29 August | The Dead Secret at the Lyceum Theatre |
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| 1877 |
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Replaces Tindell with Henry Bartley as solicitor |
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| 1877 | 17 September | The Moonstone opens at the Olympic |
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| 1877 | December |
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'My Lady's Money' in The Illustrated London News |
| 1878 |
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Disagreement with Harpers |
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| 1878 | June- November |
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The Haunted Hotel in Belgravia Magazine |
| 1878 | November |
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The Haunted Hotel (book) |
| 1879 | 1 January |
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The Fallen Leaves begins in The World |
| 1879 | 7 April |
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A Rogue's Life (book) |
| 1879 | July |
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The Fallen Leaves (book) |
| 1879 | September | Begins dealings with Tillotson | Jezebel's Daughter begins syndication by Tillotson |
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| 1880 | March |
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Jezebel's Daughter (book) |
| 1880 | 2 October |
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The Black Robe begins syndication |
| 1881 | April |
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The Black Robe (Book) |
| 1881 | December | Approaches A. P. Watt to become his literary agent |
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| 1882 | August |
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Heart and Science begins in Belgravia |
| 1883 | April |
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Heart and Science (book) |
| 1883 | 9 June | Rank and Riches at the Adelphi |
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| 1883 | December | Resumes relations with Harpers | 'I Say No' begins in Harper's Weekly |
| 1884 |
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Founder member of The Society of Authors |
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| 1884 | Jan- Dec |
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'I Say No' serialised in London Society |
| 1884 | October |
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'I Say No' (book) |
| 1885 | June | Begins correspondence with Nannie Wynne |
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| 1885 | 28 August | Tommie, his dog, dies |
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| 1885 | 30 October | Copyright performance of The Evil Genius |
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| 1885 | December |
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The Evil Genius begins syndication |
| 1886 | September |
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The Evil Genius (book) |
| 1886 | 15 November |
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The Guilty River |
| 1887 | May |
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Little Novels |
| 1888 | February | Moves from Gloucester Place to 82 Wimpole Street |
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| 1888 | February |
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The Legacy of Cain begins syndication with Tillotson |
| 1888 | November |
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The Legacy of Cain (book) |
| 1889 | 30 June | Suffers a stroke |
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| 1889 | 23 September | Dies at 82 Wimpole Street |
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| 1889 | 27 September | Funeral at Kensal Green |
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| 1889 | July- December |
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Blind Love in the Illustrated London News |
| 1889 | 24 October | Auction sale of furniture and effects |
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| 1890 | January |
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Blind Love (book) |
| 1890 | 20 January | Auction sale of library |
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| 1890 | 22 February | Auction sale of pictures and drawings |
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The Lazy Tour of Two Idle Apprentices (book) |
| 1895 | June | Death of Caroline Graves; buried in the same grave |
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| 1919 |
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Death of Martha Rudd |
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| 1999 |
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Iolani finally published |
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This information is taken from: http://www.wilkie- collins.info/wilkie_collins_chronology.htm, ,3rd November, 2008
Academic year
2008/2009
© a.r.e.a./Dr.Vicente Forés López
© Tamara Peñalver Domingo
Universitat de València Press
tapedo@alumni.uv.es