In autumn 1857, Charles Dickens embarked on a sightseeing trip to Cumberland with his friend, the rising star of literature Wilkie Collins. Writing together, they reported their adventures for Dickens' periodical Household Words, producing a meditation on the pleasures of bachelor bonding and an example of collaborative journalism at its best. The Lazy Tour of Two Idle Apprentices illustrates both long-cherished and entirely novel sides of these well-loved men of letters. Featuring two ghost stories from undisputed masters of the genre, it also uniquely demonstrates their glee in caricaturing themselves and one another. Through their fictional counterparts, the men relentlessly satirise Dickens' maniacal energy and Collins' idleness. The result is an exuberant diary of a journey and a rare insight into one of literature's most intriguing friendships.--From publisher description.