WILKIE COLLINS CHRONOLOGY

DATE		EVENT	PUBLICATION
1822	18 September	William Collins marries Harriet Geddes
1824	8 January	Wilkie Collins born at 11 New Cavendish Street, Marylebone
1826		Family moves to Hampstead Green
1828	25 January	Brother, Charles Allston Collins born
1829	Summer	Family visits Boulogne
1829	September	Family moves to Hampstead Square

1830		Family moves to Porchester Terrace, Bayswater
1835	January	Attends school at the Maida Hill Academy
1836	September	Family visits France and Italy till August 1838
1838	August	Moves to 20 Avenue Road;attends Cole's school in Highbury

1840	Summer	Family moves to 85 Oxford Terrace, Bayswater
1841	January	Apprenticed to Antrobus & Co, tea merchants
1842	June-July	Visits Scotland with his father, William Collins
1843	August	First signed publications	'Volpurno' in America. 'The Last Stage Coachman', in The Illuminated Magazine
1844		Writes Iolani
1844		Visits France with Charles Ward
1845		Iolani rejected; visits Paris on his own
1846		Visits Belgium with Charles Ward
1846	May	Enters Linclon's Inn to study law
1847	17 February	Death of William Collins
1847		Visits Normandy with Charles Ward
1848	Summer	Family moves to Blandford Square
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**
1849		Visits France with Charles Ward

1850	26 February	A Court Duel! at the Soho Theatre
1850	27 February	First Novel	*Antonina*
1850	Summer	Moves with his mother to 17 Hanover Terrace
1850	July-August	Walking tour of Cornwall with Henry Brandling
1851	30 January		*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
1851	27 September		First contribution to The Leader
1851	21 November	Called to the Bar
1851	17 December		*Mr Wray's Cash-Box*
1852	24 April	First contribution to Household Words	'A Terribly Strange Bed'
1852	16 November		*Basil*
1853	June	Early attack of illness
1853	July-September	Stays with Dickens in Boulogne
1853	October-December	Tours Switzerland and Italy with Dickens and Augustus Egg
1854		Joins the Garrick Club
1854	6 June		*Hide and Seek*
1854	July-August	Stays with Dickens in Boulogne
1854	December	First contribution to a Christmas Number	'A Stolen Letter' in Household Words
1855	February	Illness during trip to Paris with Dickens
1855	16 June	The Lighthouse performed at Tavistock House
1855	September	Sails with Pigott to the Scilly Isles
1855	November	Critical review of Collins by Emile Forgues
1855	22 December	First non-fiction piece for Household Words	'The Cruise of the Tomtit'
1856		Moves to 2 Harley Place
1856	February	First collection of stories	*After Dark*
1856	1-29 March		**A Rogue's Life serialized in Household Words**
1856	June	Approached by Tauchnitz to publish After Dark
1856	October	Joins permanent staff of Household Words
1857	3 January		**The Dead Secret begins serialization in Household Words**
1857	24 January		First serialization in Harper's Weekly, The Dead Secret
1857	6 January	The Frozen Deep performed at Tavistock House
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
1857	21 August	The Frozen Deep performed in Manchester
1857	7 September	Leaves with Dickens for walking tour in Cumberland

1857	3-31 October		*The Lazy Tour of Two Idle Apprentices*
1857	December	Collaboration with Dickens	The Perils of Certain English Prisoners
1858		First French translation	*The Dead Secret*
1858	July-August	First visit to Broadstairs, Kent
1858	September	Resigns from the Garrick Club
1858	11 October	The Red Vial opens at The Olympic
1859	January	Living with Caroline Graves, in Albany Street
1859	Spring	Move to 2A New Cavendish Street
1859	October		*The Queen of Hearts*
1859	26 November		**The Woman in White begins in All the Year Round**
1859	December	Move to 12 Harley Street

1860	January	Negotiates with Sampson Low for future publication
1860	17 July	Charles Collins marries Kate Dickens
1860	August		The Woman in White (book) published
1860	22 August	Opens bank account at Coutts
1861	16 April	Elected to The Athenaeum
1862	January	Resigns from All the Year Round
1862	August	Visits Whitby with Caroline Graves
1862	15 March		**No Name begins in All the Year Round**
1862	July-October	Rents the Fort House in Broadstairs
1862	December		No Name (book)
1863	April	Visits Aix-la-Chapelle
1863	August	Visits the Isle of Man with Caroline and her daughter
1863	November		*My Miscellanies*
1863	December	Visits Italy for three months with Caroline
1864	Summer	Meets Martha Rudd in Great Yarmouth
1864	November		**Armadale begins in the Cornhill**
1864	December	Moves to 9 Melcombe Place
1864	December	Armadale saves Harper's Monthly from closure
1865		Smith, Elder acquire Collins's copyrights
1865	March	Resigns a second time from the Garrick
1865	12 April	Takes the chair at the Royal General Theatrical Fund
1866		Visits Paris with Frederick Lehmann
1866	May-June		Armadale (book)
1866	October	Visits Italy with Edward Pigott
1866	27 October	The Frozen Deep at The Olympic
1867	September	Moves to 90 Gloucester Place
1867	9 November	Visits Liverpool to see Dickens off to America
1867	December	Collaborates again with Dickens	**No Thoroughfare in All the Year Round**
1867	26 December	No Thoroughfare at the Adelphi
1868	4 January-8 August		**The Moonstone serialized in All the Year Round**
1868		Martha Rudd (as Mrs Dawson) installed at 33 Bolsover Street
1868	19 March	Death of Harriet Collins, his mother
1868	July		The Moonstone (book)
1868	29 October	Witnesses Caroline Graves marry Joseph Clow
1869	29 March	Black and White opens at the Adelphi
1869	4 July	Elder daughter, Marian Dawson, born
1869	20 November		**Man and Wife begins in Cassell's Magazine**

1870	9 June	Death of Dickens
1870	June		Man and Wife (book)
1871	14 May	Younger daughter, Harriet Dawson, born
1871	9 October	The Woman in White opens at The Olympic
1871	October		**Poor Miss Finch begins in Cassell's Magazine**
1871	25 December		**Miss or Mrs? in The Graphic**

1872	26 January		Poor Miss Finch (book)
1872	October		**The New Magdalen begins in Temple Bar**
1872	3 February	'The Novelist Who Invented Sensation' in Vanity Fair
1873	January		*Miss or Mrs? and Other Stories*
1873	22 February	Man and Wife opens at The Prince of Wales
1873	9 April	Charles Collins dies
1873	17 May		The New Magdalen (book)
1873	19 May	The New Magdalen opens at the Olympic
1873	25 September	Arrives in New York for American reading tour
1873	10 November	*Attends first night of The New Magdalen* in New York**
1874	7 March	Leaves Boston for England
1874		Moves Martha Rudd to Taunton Place
1874	26 September		**The Law and the Lady begins in The Graphic**
1874	2 November		*The Frozen Deep*
1874	25 December	Son, William Charles Collins Dawson, born
1875		Chatto & Windus become Collins's main English publishers
1875	February		The Law and the Lady (book)
1875		Visits Italy with Frith
1876	Jan-Sep		**The Two Destinies in Temple Bar**
1876	15 April	Miss Gwilt opens at the Globe
1876	August		The Two Destinies (book)
1877	2 July		'Mr Percy and the Prophet' in All the Year Round
1877	29 August	The Dead Secret at the Lyceum Theatre
1877		Replaces Tindell with Henry Bartley as solicitor
1877	17 September	The Moonstone opens at the Olympic
1877	December		'My Lady's Money' in The Illustrated London News
1878		Disagreement with Harpers
1878	June-November		**The Haunted Hotel in Belgravia Magazine**
1878	November		The Haunted Hotel (book)
1879	1 January		**The Fallen Leaves begins in The World**
1879	7 April		A Rogue's Life (book)
1879	July		The Fallen Leaves (book)
1879	September	Begins dealings with Tillotson	Jezebel's Daughter begins syndication by Tillotson

1880	March		Jezebel's Daughter (book)
1880	2 October		The Black Robe begins syndication
1881	April		The Black Robe (Book)
1881	December	Approaches A. P. Watt to become his literary agent
1882	August		**Heart and Science begins in Belgravia**
1883	April		Heart and Science (book)
1883	9 June	Rank and Riches at the Adelphi
1883	December	Resumes relations with Harpers	**'I Say No' begins in Harper's Weekly**
1884		Founder member of The Society of Authors
1884	Jan-Dec		**'I Say No' serialised in London Society**
1884	October		'I Say No' (book)
1885	June	Begins correspondence with Nannie Wynne
1885	28 August	Tommie, his dog, dies
1885	30 October	Copyright performance of The Evil Genius
1885	December		The Evil Genius begins syndication
1886	September		The Evil Genius (book)
1886	15 November		*The Guilty River*
1887	May		*Little Novels*
1888	February	Moves from Gloucester Place to 82 Wimpole Street
1888	February		The Legacy of Cain begins syndication with Tillotson
1888	November		The Legacy of Cain (book)
1889	30 June	Suffers a stroke
1889	23 September	Dies at 82 Wimpole Street
1889	27 September	Funeral at Kensal Green
1889	July-December		**Blind Love in the Illustrated London News**
1889	24 October	Auction sale of furniture and effects
1890	January		Blind Love (book)
1890	20 January	Auction sale of library
1890	22 February	Auction sale of pictures and drawings
			The Lazy Tour of Two Idle Apprentices (book)
1895	June	Death of Caroline Graves; buried in the same grave
1919		Death of Martha Rudd
1999			Iolani finally published
2024		Bicentenary Collins's birth

A WILKIE COLLINS CHRONOLOGY