The Great Charlie, the Biography of the Tramp

Robert Payne has succeeded in a difficult task: he can convey in words the magic of great clowning. His book was justly described, in the Saturday Review of Literature, as ranking with the best writings on Chaplin in any language. We learn, incidentally, a lot about Chaplin himselfabout his precarious London childhood, his early stage work, his experiences with Fred Karno and Mack Sennett in the earliest screen comediesbut it is Charlie who holds the centre of the stage. Robert Payne analzses all his important appearances on the screen, and also traces his descent back through Dan Leno, Grimaldi, Pierrot and Punch, to the earliest laughter-maker of them all."