The Sins of the Fathers & Other Tales: “A pipe for the hour of work; a cigarette for the hour of conception; a cigar for the hour of vacuity”

George Robert Gissing was born on November 22nd, 1857 in Wakefield, Yorkshire. He was educated at Back Lane School in Wakefield. Gissing loved school. He was enthusiastic with a thirst for learning and always diligent. By the age of ten he was reading Dickens, a lifelong hero. In 1872 Gissing won a