Chesterton is so good on Dickens because his wit is as sharp as that of the Great Inimitable himself: "Dickens was most accurate when he was most fantastic. . . . He exaggerated when he had found a truth to exaggerate. . . . In one sense truth alone can be exaggerated; nothing else can stand the strain." No one excels him at catching and conveying the sense of wonder that is Dickens, and his contagious enthusiasm will be sure to send the reader to the books with more alertness and keener appreciation. AUTHOR: Gilbert Keith Chesterton (1874-1936) was an English writer, critic, playwright, historian and theologian. From his massive output of work, he is now remembered principally for his fifty-two short stories of Father Brown, the cleric turned detective.