PROFESSOR'S COLLECTION BEATS GREAT EXPECTATIONS.

Byline: Lisa M. Sodders Staff Writer

One of the largest collections of Charles Dickens' books, letters, photos and memorabilia will be donated to California State University, Northridge, by a retired CSUN English professor.

University officials are set to announce today that Professor Emeritus Harry Stone has placed a portion of the collection on display at the Oviatt Library on campus - with the remainder to go to the university upon his death.

``Studying Dickens has been a joy and a revelation to me,'' said the 77-year-old Stone, an internationally renowned authority on Dickens. ``Having this collection at Cal State Northridge will allow the world to appreciate what this man did and what this man was capable of.''

The great Victorian novelist, born in 1812, worked in a factory as a child while his family was in a debtors prison. His 15 novels include ``Oliver Twist,'' ``A Tale of Two Cities,'' ``Great Expectations,'' ``David Copperfield'' and ``A Christmas Carol.''

His perennially popular works attacked the social injustice and hypocrisy of Victorian England and were credited with inspiring the first social reforms in industrialized society.

``He is the greatest novelist to have written in the English language, and his range is enormous, from the lowest scum to the highest nobility - and everything in between,'' said Stone, who glows when discussing his favorite author.

A lifelong Dickens fan, Stone is particularly fond of ``Great Expectations.''

``It seems very close to human beings,'' Stone mused. ``You have a young kid becoming enamored of a girl. He has all these hopes. ... It's a great masterpiece.''

His collection includes first editions of Dickens' work, as well as serial versions that were published before the entire novel. Stone also owns illustrations from the books, a letter that Dickens wrote to his brother-in-law, dolls based on Dickens characters, sheet music for songs written about the characters and other collectibles.

``It's one of the most prestigious collections on Dickens in the world,'' said Cindy Ventuleth, director of development for the library. ``We're going to have researchers and scholars from all over the world coming to use this collection. Just looking at it is marvelous.''

Tony Gardner, the curator of special collections and archives for the library, has been cataloging thousands of items in the collection since June and marvels at the extent. While spin-off toys and other products are now common from a hit movie or book, Dickens was ahead of his time in inspiring such collectibles, Gardner said.

Stone, who taught at CSUN from 1960 to 1992, said Dickens' works have been ``a passion and a joy'' for him throughout his life, starting long before his academic career. Even before Stone could read, his parents read him children's versions of Dickens stories. By the time he was 14, he had read all of Dickens' novels.

Stone is the author or editor of nine books about Dickens, including ``Dickens' Working Notes for His Novels.'' Stone was the first to collect and present Dickens' handwritten notes for two-thirds of his novels - giving readers an insight into the thinking behind Dickens' famous tales.

``You see him thinking. It's wonderful,'' Stone said. He quietly smiled in satisfaction. ``I gave that to the world.''

And he's delighted that his collection - started more than 60 years ago, including some gifts from his father - will continue to be available to scholars.

Lisa M. Sodders, [phone]

lisa.sodders(at)dailynews.com

DICKENS DINNER

California State University, Northridge, will celebrate Dr. Harry Stone's donation of his Dickens collection with a special Dickens-influenced dinner at 6 p.m. Nov. 21 in the Oviatt Library. Tickets are $75. For more information, call the CSUN Foundation at [phone].

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2 photos

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(1 -- color) Dickens scholar Harry Stone's renowned collection includes tiny editions.

(2) Dickens scholar Harry Stone, 77, is giving his renowned collection to California State University, Northridge.

Tom Mendoza/Staff Photographer

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DICKENS DINNER (see text)