PHILADELPHIA (AP) Past the glass case containing sketches for his novel "Oliver Twist," beyond the handwritten letter to his publisher about Little Nell, and away from the first published installments of "Hard Times" sits Charles Dickens' pet bird.
The carefully preserved and stuffed raven named Grip later the inspiration for Edgar Allan Poe's famous poem is perhaps the quirkiest part of the Philadelphia public library's valuable Dickens collection, now on display to celebrate his bicentennial.