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Audiobook edition · 11 h 40 minPaperback · 6 × 9 in · printing soonHardcover · 6 × 9 in · printing soonAbout this book
What does a country devoted to liberty reveal in its prisons, factories and crowded inns?
In American Notes, Charles Dickens travels through the United States and Canada in 1842 with his wife, Catherine. He comes to see a republic he has long admired. From a miserable Atlantic crossing to Boston’s warm welcome, his journey brings comedy, kindness and sharp surprises.
But Dickens looks beyond the welcome. In Lowell’s cotton mills, New York’s damp prison cells and Washington’s unfinished streets, he asks what daily life reveals about national ideals. Trains, canal boats and river steamers carry him onward, while slavery gives his questions about liberty a troubling urgency.
What you’ll discover
- A visitor with sharp eyes See America through Dickens’s mix of admiration, comic irritation and concern for people who suffer.
- Life beyond the landmarks Enter crowded inns, schools and factories where ordinary details become a revealing portrait of national habits.
- Liberty put to the test Follow a reformer’s questions about prisons and slavery in a country that praises freedom.
- Comedy on the road Share his astonishment at tobacco spitting, bad food and manners that test a visitor’s patience.
- Westward and toward Niagara Travel by canal boat and river steamer toward western landscapes, Niagara Falls and Canada.
Who will love it
This book suits readers who love travel writing with a lively voice, fans of Dickens who want to hear him speak as himself, and anyone curious about America in the early 1840s.
What’s inside
The key ideas, in the 15-minute summary
- Good humour makes trouble worth noticing
- Care begins with respect and trust
- Working people deserve a wider life
- Good intentions cannot excuse mental cruelty
- Public grandeur does not guarantee justice
- The frontier reveals what settlement costs
- Niagara brings a moment of peace
- Affection leaves room for honest criticism
- A society shows itself through care
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American Notes
by Charles Dickens · 1842
In 1842 Dickens boards a ship, rides rails, canals and rivers, and writes down what he sees.
Challenging5–10 hours to read2 languages
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In short
What does a famous young novelist see when he crosses a new country with a notebook and a sharp tongue? Charles Dickens answers in American Notes.
American Notes at a glance
- Reading time
- About 6 h 40 min5 h 20 min fast, 7 h 55 min slow
- Length
- 95,400 words
- Library level
- Challenging long sentences, a rich vocabulary
- First published
- 1842by Charles Dickens
Reading time at 238 words a minute (fast 300, slow 200). How long the classics take to read · Updated
From the 15-minute summary · Key idea 1
A coffin-sized cabin begins the journey
On January 3, 1842, Dickens opens the door of the stateroom he has dreamed about for four months aboard the Britannia. He finds a narrow shelf for a bed and a horsehair slab for a sofa. His wife's two huge trunks could no more fit inside than a giraffe could fit in a flowerpot.
Then the whole party chooses to laugh. Within two minutes they agree that the cabin is the best arrangement anyone could wish for.
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Which edition is right for me
- 15-minute summary
- The key ideas of the whole book in about 14 minutes. A good first look, or a refresher.
Details
- First published
- 1842
- Language
- English
- Reading time
- 7 h 35 min
- Level
- Challenging
Cite this edition
Dickens, Charles. American Notes. Library of Alexandria, 2026, libraryofalexandria.com/products/american-notes.
Dickens, C. (2026). American notes. Library of Alexandria. https://libraryofalexandria.com/products/american-notes (Original work published 1842)
Dickens, Charles. American Notes. Library of Alexandria, 2026. https://libraryofalexandria.com/products/american-notes.
@book{dickens2026american,
author = {Dickens, Charles},
title = {American Notes},
publisher = {Library of Alexandria},
year = {2026},
url = {https://libraryofalexandria.com/products/american-notes},
note = {First published 1842}
}
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What is American Notes about?
It is Charles Dickens's travel account of about five months in the United States and Canada in 1842. He describes ships, cities, prisons, schools, mills, rivers, Niagara and slavery, and gives his opinion of the American people.
Is American Notes a true story?
Yes. It is non-fiction, based on Dickens's own journey and the letters and notes he kept. He published it in 1842, and his comic style shapes the telling, but the people, places and institutions he visits are real.
Why did Dickens write American Notes?
He wanted to tell readers at home what he had seen, and he had a strong interest in prisons, schools and the treatment of the poor. He also wrote it to share his honest view of America with its friends and critics.
The author
Charles Dickens
1812–1870 · English novelist
Charles Dickens was an English novelist born in Portsmouth in 1812. He lived in London and later at Gad’s Hill Place in Kent, where he died in 1870. His books include The Pickwick Papers (1836–1837), A Christmas Carol (1843), David Copperfield (1849–1850), and Great Expectations (1860–1861).
More by Charles Dickens
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