“PLEASE, SIR, I WANT SOME MORE”

DICKENS, Charles. The Adventures of Oliver Twist; Or, the Parish Boy's Progress. With Twenty-four Illustrations on Steel by George Cruikshank. A New Edition, Revised and Corrected. London: Bradbury & Evans, 1846. Octavo, original gilt-stamped gray cloth. $1750.

Early edition of Dickens’ classic, in original cloth-gilt.

Dickens' second novel is "distinguished by trenchant social satire and vivid evocation of criminal low-life, and, in the mythically evocative depiction of Oliver asking for more, containing perhaps the most widely known image Dickens ever created" (Schlicke, 437). Oliver was first published in book form in 1838, and appeared in a number of so-called editions until it was "extensively revised and appeared in ten monthly parts from January-October 1846… [before it was published] in one volume on September 26, 1846" (Smith, 36-37). This printing was done from a copy of the 1841 edition. Cruikshank designed a new cover (containing 11 scenes from the novel) for the issue of this edition in parts, and the plates from various three-volume editions were retouched and re-bitten by J. Findlay. Eckel, 63. Smith 4, Note 5. Contemporary owner gift inscription.

Rear inner paper hinge repaired, a few spots of foxing to interior, wear and minor soiling to original cloth, spine ends and joints reinforced with green cloth. An extremely good copy.