English author and social commentator Charles Dickens lived from 7 February 1812 to 9 June 1870. He is credited with creating some of the most well-known fictional characters in history and is regarded by many as the best writer of the Victorian era. His books gained an extraordinary level of popularity during his lifetime, and by the 20th century, academics and critics had recognized his literary excellence. Many people read his novels and short story collections today. Dickens, a native of Portsmouth, quit school at the age of 12 to work at a factory that blackened boots while his father was imprisoned for debt. After three years, he returned to school before beginning his writing career as a journalist. Dickens spent 20 years editing a weekly journal, produced hundreds of short stories and non-fiction pieces, 15 novels, five novellas, numerous lectures, and readings, was a prolific letter writer, and actively promoted social reforms like education reform, children's rights, and other issues. Dickens' writing career took off with the serial publication of The Pickwick Papers in 1836, a publishing hit that inspired Pickwick products and spin-offs in large part due to the introduction of the character Sam Weller in the fourth episode.