The Diary of a Nobody (Barnes & Noble Digital Library)

First serialized in Punch in 1888, The Diary of a Nobody is the record of fifteen months in the life of Charles Pooter—a mundane and upright city clerk—his family, friends, and small circle of acquaintances. It is a humorous record of the manners, customs, and experiences of Londoners in the late-Victorian era. The term “Pooterish,” which denotes someone who takes himself excessively seriously has remained a part of British parlance ever since. The book itself has never been out of print since its original publication in 1892.