The surviving correspondence between Dickens and Wills certainly seems to show Wills as the loyal, reliable and efficient, if unimaginative, subordinate. It is likely, however, that Wills played a more active part in the planning of Household Words than this would suggest. Recently there have come to light nine pages in Wills' handwriting, containing ideas for the layout and make-up of the new magazine, and listing possible topics; and, as will appear, many of these notions were carried out in the opening year or so. Unfortunately there seems to be no direct evidence that these were Wills' ideas (clearly, they might have been a summary of a conference with Dickens, with possibly Forster or the publishers also present). I incline, however, to think that they are Wills' ideas, for parts of this manuscript contain stylistic corrections, the most obvious explanation for which is that he was thinking on paper and intending to make a fair-copy of his memorandum, with these improvements in phraseology, for submission to Dickens. In either case, the notes are of interest, in summarizing the pre-publication plans of what was to prove a highly successful and influential popular journal. The present article will consist of a transcription of these notes, with footnote references to the items in Household Words which correspond to these suggestions. I shall not comment upon the tenor of these plans, nor upon their place in the history of popular journalism; much of this is obvious enough, and Dickens' periodicals have been discussed elsewhere.^